Man who walked with canes on both arms fatally beaten in Twin Cities park, criminal complaint says

A man who needed canes for both arms in order to walk was killed during a late-night beating in a Burnsville park, according to a criminal complaint filed Friday.

Michael Lual Nhial, 21 of Burnsville, was charged in Dakota County District Court with second-degree murder in connection an attack that on May 3 that killed David Stuart Chant, 59, of Faribault, Minn.

Nhial remains jailed without bond ahead of a court appearance Monday. Court records do not list an attorney for him.

In a recorded phone call from jail, Nhial told someone that he beat a man in the park for grabbing his buttocks, the complaint read.

According to the complaint:

About 8:10 a.m., Chant’s mother called police to say she found her son unconscious in the park. She told officers he would occasionally stay with her and go for early morning walks either in the driveway or at nearby Interlachen Park.

When he was not in the home or the driveway that morning, she went to the park and saw him partly under a picnic table with blood around his his swollen head and face. Officers and emergency medical providers arrived within minutes and declared him dead.

Shortly before 8:45 a.m., Nhial’s mother told police that her son, who lives with her near the park, was missing and she was concerned for his well-being. She said Nhial had been fighting with people at school and was growing increasingly aggressive at home. Police were aware of Nhial due to numerous calls to the home.

Police obtained surveillance video that captured audio from the area of the park shortly before 1:45 a.m.

Two people distinct voices were heard arguing as well as thumping sounds. The victim could be heard saying, “Give me my cane back,” followed by sounds of hitting, slapping and continued arguing.

The same voice repeatedly shouted “Ow!” Then a slamming door was heard, consistent with the slamming of a portable toilet door.

Numerous ongoing criminal cases in Dakota County allege that Nhial has committed violent crimes in recent months. They include: