BABBITT, Minn. — A Babbitt man accused of killing his mother's boyfriend told her he thought the man was coming between them, according to court documents.
Shawn R. Doherty, 24, is charged with one count of second-degree intentional murder in the strangulation death of John P. Bulen, 55, of Mahtomedi. Bulen was found unconscious Monday outside Doherty's residence dressed only in underwear and a T-shirt. He was later pronounced dead.
The defendant's mother, Lynda Doherty, was running errands at the time of the incident, but before she left Bulen had asked her to lock the bedroom door because he was afraid of her son, according to a criminal complaint.
The complaint said Lynda Doherty also told officers the night before Bulen died that her son repeatedly entered her bedroom and woke her up, and at one point told her he thought Bulen was coming between them and that he planned to kill him. Lynda Doherty said she didn't take the threat seriously.
When Lynda Doherty arrived home from her errands, police were already in the neighborhood. WDIO-TV (http://bit.ly/1eFWnEY) reports that when she went inside her home she found blood and screamed for help.
Upstairs, officers found the bedroom door forced open. In the bathroom they found Shawn Doherty in a fetal position in the bath tub. The complaint said he was shaking and appeared confused.
A judge has set Doherty' bail at $1 million and ordered that he have a competency exam. Court records do not list an attorney for Doherty.
