Charge: Minneapolis man fatally stabbed cousin 19 times

A Minneapolis man is accused of fatally stabbing his cousin 19 times and leaving the body in an SUV in Crystal.

Larondo C. Willis, 37, was charged in Hennepin County District Court last week with second-degree intentional murder in connection with the killing on March 20 of Eddie D. Winters, 40, of Minneapolis.

Willis remains jailed in lieu of $1 million bail ahead of an April 23 hearing. A message was left Monday with his attorney seeking a response to the allegations.

An autopsy by the Medical Examiner’s Office counted nine stab wounds to Winters’ neck, four to his chest, five to his back and one to his mid-torso. He also had numerous cuts to his hands consistent with defensive wounds.

The criminal complaint did not offer a motive for the stabbing. It did say Willis and other family members were upset with Winters for fleeing the scene in April 2022 when another cousin was killed “to save himself instead of helping him.”

At the time of the stabbing, Willis was on supervised release after serving slightly less than eight years in prison for a rape in Hennepin County in 2015.

According to the criminal complaint:

The officers saw a dead man inside the vehicle who was later identified as Winters. He had dried blood on him and wounds to his neck. The officers also saw a large amount of blood in the SUV and on the exterior of the passenger-side front door.

Winters’ 14-year-old son told police he drove his father to a barbershop that evening. A man later entered who Winters referred to as his cousin. The teen said that he, his father and the man left the barbershop together. The teen was dropped off at home, and Winters and the man drove off.

In a follow-up interview with police, the teen said family members showed him a photo of Willis. He confirmed it was the man his father referred to as his cousin.

The barbershop owner told police that Winters worked there, and brought his son in for a haircut. Willis showed up for an appointment he made around the same time, the owner said.

Willis was arrested on March 21 stemming from an unrelated assault charge.