The mother of a Rosemount girl whose boyfriend was stabbed to death Thursday said there was no love triangle that involved her daughter and the suspect or his brother.
April Rosendahl said her daughter, Ariel Neally, 16, was friends with the 19-year-old brother of the teenager who allegedly stabbed Cody Casey, 17, a senior at Rosemount High School. The mother said she had told her daughter to stay away from both brothers.
Casey had dated Neally for about a month, and on Thursday morning he had asked her to be his date to the senior prom, Rosendahl said Saturday. He was jealous of her friendship with the 19-year-old and biked to his house Thursday afternoon, Rosendahl said.
But the 19-year-old wasn't home, and his 16-year-old brother got into an argument with and allegedly stabbed Casey, police said. The younger brother is in custody pending possible charges, which could come Monday. An 18-year-old brother was booked but not charged for helping the 16-year-old avoid arrest, police said.
No one answered the door Saturday at the brothers' home on Dallara Avenue in Rosemount. But three neighbors interviewed said the family was no trouble, and the boys' mother kept beautiful gardens. The 16-year-old sometimes mowed the lawn or did other yard chores with his two older brothers, said next-door neighbor Bill Smith, a retired teacher. He said the 16-year-old once had been suspended three days from school for being truant, and Smith kept an eye on him for a day for his parents with no problems. He said he had seen police cars stop next door once or twice but didn't know why. Police had no records available Saturday to show any calls to the boys' home.
About a mile away, friends and relatives continued to drop by Casey's home.
His father, Roger Casey, said he is not ready yet to talk about his son. "I can't believe it's real," he said.
Jim Adams • 612-673-7658
