A grand jury has indicted a 46-year-old Burnsville man on second-degree murder charges. He is accused of shooting another man on Jan. 23 after an afternoon of drinking and watching football, the Dakota County attorney's office said Monday.
Grand jurors late Friday handed up the indictment of Robert Michael Thomas Sr. in connection with the death of James E. Koenig, 38, of Burnsville.
The grand jury declined to indict Thomas on charges of first-degree murder and second-degree intentional murder. But he was indicted for second-degree murder while committing a second-degree assault, second-degree manslaughter, intentional discharge of a firearm while endangering another and reckless discharge of a firearm in a municipality, all felonies.
Koenig's girlfriend told police that after the football game, Thomas' 13-year-old son came out of a bedroom with a camera containing photos of a shirtless Koenig striking poses. Thomas saw the photos and became angry. Koenig insisted that he wanted the photos taken for his Facebook page.
Another witness told police that he heard the girlfriend and Thomas yell at Koenig, demanding that he leave. The witness said Koenig eventually rushed toward Thomas, who fired his gun.
Thomas appeared in court Monday, and Judge Erica MacDonald kept his bail at $500,000 without conditions or $400,000 with several conditions. Thomas' next court appearance is March 7.
JOY POWELL
