Suspect found, back in jail today in punching death in New Hope bar

A man who was decked by single punches from two men at a New Hope bar late on a weekend night in June has died, and the one suspect who has been charged has been found and jailed.

John T. Hillstrom, 36, of Crystal, died Sunday in hospice care in Cokato, his sister wrote on his CaringBridge website page.

Hillstrom was with a small gathering on June 14 at Outtakes Bar and Grill on Winnetka Avenue N. for a friend's birthday when the assault by others in a different group left him with serious brain injuries.

Christopher H. Gantt, 29, of Minneapolis but also residing in Iowa, is charged in Hennepin County District Court with second-degree unintentional murder and was jailed on June 26, then released on bail.

His trial was tentatively scheduled to begin in early January; however, the complaint filed against him noted that a nationwide warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Gantt was located and returned to jail Thursday afternoon in lieu of $500,000 bail ahead of a court appearance Friday.

Hillstrom's father, Chuck, said a second suspect is still being sought, but he had no information about that person. Police were not answering questions about the case, and the county attorney's office said Gantt is the only person charged so far in Hillstrom's death.

A bartender told police that Hillstrom and his friends had been arguing back and forth with two men, and the dispute had sometimes been heated.

The bartender said he grabbed one of the two men from behind at one point, and Hillstrom had shouted, "Shut the [expletive] up" multiple times.

Shortly after 1 a.m., an angry Gantt approached Hillstrom and said he wanted to fight. Gantt threw a punch, sending Hillstrom "to the ground in a daze," the complaint read.

When Hillstrom tried to stand, Gantt's accomplice ran over and punched Hillstrom. The second blow "knocked [Hillstrom] to the ground, hard," the complaint continued.

Hillstrom hit his head on the concrete and was knocked unconscious. The two men ran from the bar as the bartender checked on Hillstrom.

Following initial surgery at North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale, Hillstrom was transferred to Bethesda Hospital in St. Paul for therapy and then to Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute in Golden Valley for continued care.

However, during follow-up surgery on his skull in November, Hillstrom fell victim to complications, which the latest CaringBridge posting called "a mystery."

Chuck Hillstrom said he has "no idea" what the fuss was about in the bar that night. "It's really a senseless situation. There was no connection, that I am aware of, with anyone in the [other] group."

Hillstrom graduated from Dassel-Cokato High School in 1996 and earned a degree in economics from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Chuck Hillstrom remembered his son as "very active, hockey, an outdoorsmen, fishing and hunting, that sort of thing."

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482