Thief River Falls, MN (trfnews.i234.me) – Judge Tamara Yon has granted a state motion for a second mental health evaluation of Jorge Luis Benitez-Estremera, 33, who is facing charges of first-degree premeditated murder and second-degree murder. Benitez-Estremera is accused of intentionally killing 61-year-old Steven Opdahl on May 9, 2023, outside DigiKey in Thief River Falls.
Opdahl suffered severe head trauma, with evidence of a violent assault involving a parking pole sign and multiple punches. The attack, which lasted three minutes, was captured on surveillance video and showed Opdahl displaying no aggression towards Benitez-Estremera. The defendant later told law enforcement that he felt a negative force from Opdahl and believed he needed to “be taken out of the system.”
Benitez-Estremera’s attorneys, Steve Bergeson and Eric Gudmundson, previously retained psychologist Dr. Andrea Lovett, who concluded that he was suffering from mental illness and was not criminally responsible for the murder. Lovett diagnosed him with severe bipolar I disorder with psychotic features, noting his pronounced psychosis and delusions during an interview shortly after the homicide.
Now, the state’s privately retained psychologist, Dr. Tricia Sudenga, will conduct a second evaluation to provide further insight into Benitez-Estremera’s mental state at the time of the crime.