A term of more than 10 years was given to a 65-year-old St. Paul man who fatally beat his wife in their home and left a note professing his love near her body.
Arvid H. Johnson was sentenced Monday in Ramsey County District Court after pleading guilty to second-degree unintentional murder in connection with the death of Linda Johnson, 66, on Jan. 22 in their home in the 1400 block of N. Dale Street.
With credit for time in jail after his arrest, Johnson is expected to serve about 6½ years in prison and the balance on supervised release.
Investigators found a wooden bat in the bedroom about 5 feet from his wife's body, the criminal complaint said. Also in the bedroom was a paper towel that had a heart drawn on it and the words, "I didn't mean to hurt my wife. I love my wife."
According to the complaint:
A caller to 911 about 3:30 a.m. said her father admitted to killing his wife. Officers arrived at the home and saw Johnson sitting at the kitchen table smoking a cigarette.
The officers located Linda Johnson on a bedroom floor with a comforter wrapped around her body. There were numerous injuries to her face and head.
"I do everything for her," the complaint quoted Johnson as saying. "I take care of her, she has arthritis. I get her food. It's never good enough."
