Minneapolis couple charged in death of man interrogated for being a 'snitch'

A Minneapolis couple have been charged in connection with the fatal beating of a man whose body was left in a Dakota County culvert.

Arturo Morales-Ceras, 34, was charged with intentional second-degree murder in the death of Manuel Mandujano, according to a news release Monday from the Hennepin County Attorney's Office. His girlfriend, Tomasa Martinez, 30, was charged with kidnapping.

In the same case, Ivan Contreras-Sanchez, 40, was charged with one count each of unintentional second-degree murder and intentional second-degree murder on Friday.

According to the complaint, Mandujano's family reported him missing to Minneapolis police on April 4. His body was found in the culvert three weeks later.

His hands were bound behind his back and his foot was impaled by a nail.

An unspecified "device" found near his body was linked to Contreras-Sanchez's e-mail address. The device's location history led police to a gas station, where police recovered "digital evidence" of two cars arriving, the complaint said.

Police found Contreras-Sanchez had a traffic citation for driving without a license in a car similar to one of the cars seen at the gas station. Using location data from his e-mail, police tracked him to a north Minneapolis house.

Morales-Ceras and Martinez were arrested Nov. 5. Morales-Ceras told police he went to a south Minneapolis homeless encampment where he and Contreras-Sanchez found Mandujano. Contreras-Sanchez threatened and forced Mandujano at gunpoint into his car and took him to a house where the two men interrogated Mandujano for being a "snitch" and working with police, according to the complaint.

Other people also assaulted the victim at the behest of Contreras-Sanchez, according to the complaint. Morales-Ceras said he hammered a nail into Mandujano's heel.

The victim was then taken from the house and put in the hatch area of a car. Morales-Ceras and Contreras-Sanchez rode in the car and Martinez drove the vehicle south.

The three met up with another vehicle and drove around looking for a place to dump the body, the complaint said.