A Twin Cities man with a long rap sheet has been charged with fatally stabbing another man outside his Chisago County home before he fled with his girlfriend in the middle of the night, according to charges.
Justin G. Valian, 23, of Maplewood, was charged Monday in Chisago County District Court with second-degree murder in connection with the attack early Friday on Joshua J. Kaczrowski, 28, in Sunrise Township. Charged as an accomplice was Valian's girlfriend, Courtney K. Pilz-Carr, 28, of Harris, Minn.
The two were caught in the woods about 7 a.m. near Tower Park in North Branch, according to the Sheriff's Office. They remained jailed ahead of a court hearing Thursday. Their attorneys have yet to respond to a request for comment.
Kaczrowski was stabbed multiple times outside his home in the 42200 block of Joywood Avenue, where emergency responders declared him dead at the scene.
According to the charges:
A man with Kaczrowski at the home with said he saw Valian drive up to the house and Pilz-Carr come out a few minutes later.
Kaczrowski followed Pilz-Carr to the van and pleaded for her not to leave, the witness said.
"A very brief physical altercation" occurred between the two men, the charges read. Valian and Pilz-Carr fled in the van while Kaczrowski said he was hurt and needed the witness to call 911.
