Long prison term for man's role in bloody, fiery Burnsville home invasion

A 21-year-old Prior Lake man was sentenced on Tuesday to nearly 30 years in prison for joining another assailant to stab and burn a Burnsville man nearly to death during a home invasion three years ago.

Dakota County District Judge Thomas Poch said that not only will Irvin Scott Cook be sent to prison for 29 1/2 years, a harsher sentence than set forth in the state sentencing guidelines, but he will have more than seven additional years hanging over his head once he gets out on supervised release. Violations could send him back.

Victim Paul Traub was stabbed 20 times, doused with a flammable liquid and left to burn to death. The assailants also set eight fires in his home.

"I still cannot comprehend how anyone could have that much hatred inside of them that they would want to kill a total stranger who had done no harm," Traub said in court Tuesday.

Cook and Shaquen P. Whitfield, 22, of Prior Lake have been convicted of entering the Burnsville dwelling on May 11, 2008, after Traub forgot to close his garage door before going to bed.

The intruders broke two phones, flipped off a circuit breaker and removed a battery from a smoke detector minutes before Traub awakened about 4 a.m. As he tried to escort Whitfield outside, Traub said Tuesday, Cook jumped out and stabbed him three times in the head -- including once in the face -- with a paring knife from a kitchen drawer.

"I hope you know you are going to die," Cook told Traub, 55, during the attack. "I just stabbed you in the head."

Prosecutor Scott Hersey said the intruders did everything they could to kill Traub.

Traub said Tuesday that none of the stab wounds hit any vital organs and that the wounds have all healed. He added, however, that one side of his mouth still won't move when he smiles because one stab was so close to his facial nerve in his cheek.

As the flames on his bed and from two other fires in his bedroom began to spread, Traub stood. He testified that he saw a man standing in his bedroom doorway, who ordered him to get back down on the floor. Traub identified that man in court as Cook.

Once the invaders left in his car, Traub struggled to his feet, covered in blood, and ran through a wall of flames to get help. Had he not, the fire could easily have killed others in the four-plex because of a shared attic, which could allow flames to spread quickly, an arson expert testified.

"I thank God I was able to escape my burning house and get help for my neighbors and me," he said Tuesday.