Life sentence for Twin Cities man who dismembered his mother, scattered her remains

A Twin Cities man has received a life sentence for dismembering his mother and scattering her remains as he drove out of town.

Troy Michael Mitteness, 58, of Burnsville, was found guilty on Aug. 13 of first- and second-degree murder in connection with the death of 82-year-old Sandra Viola Mitteness in June 2022.

Dakota County jurors deliberated for about nine hours before reaching the verdict on the trial’s seventh day.

On Tuesday, Mitteness was sentenced by District Judge Richelle Wahi to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

“I want to extend my gratitude to everyone involved in this case, particularly the jurors who were exposed to and had to consider some very grisly facts,” read a statement from County Attorney Kathryn Keena.

When Mitteness was charged in July 2023, Keena said that “the facts alleged in this case make it one of the most horrific and disturbing cases I’ve experienced in the course of my 34-year career.”

Court records show that Mitteness was committed in 2011 to the custody of the state Department of Human Services after being found mentally ill.

An investigation into mail theft led police to a bank account in Sandra Mitteness’ name that had received some of theft proceeds.

Police asked Troy Mitteness where they could find his mother and ask her about the deposits. He said she died on June 14, 2022.

After family and friends recalled to police not seeing Sandra Mitteness for several months, a missing person case was opened.

Several in the family said Troy Mitteness told them his mother died in the past year after falling down some stairs in June 2022.

One relative bought Sandra Mitteness’ car from Troy Mitteness. The relative then sold the car to another person, who allowed police to examine it. Inspection of the car turned up evidence of blood.

Under police questioning, Troy Mitteness admitted killing his mother because he had spent all her money and she was pressing him to see an accounting of her finances.

He said he went online to research ways to kill her and stabbed her in the neck on June 2, 2022.

Two days later, he dismembered her body and put the parts in tote bins, which he put in his car. He drove from Burnsville toward Appleton, Minn., and tossed body parts into a roadside ditch as he drove.