Officers responded to the residence in the 6400 block of Bloomington Avenue South, where they found the woman deceased. Court records state she had a severe forehead laceration exposing her skull, both eyes swollen shut, and a broken nose.
Investigators documented blood spatter throughout the lower level of the house, including the bathroom, laundry room, and a bedroom where the victim’s two-year-old daughter was found asleep with blood on her arm. Police noted several signs of attempted cleanup, including blood-stained rugs, washcloths, and a ripped bra inside the washing machine, along with men’s white sneakers and other clothing. Officers also saw watery blood on the washer itself.
Surveillance video from a neighbor captured interactions between Benson and the victim before her death. Around midnight on September 6, the two were seen arguing in the driveway. The victim walked into the backyard and did not return. At 12:02 a.m., Benson was recorded entering the backyard wearing white sneakers, which were later found in the washer. He was later seen leaving in a white SUV around 3:30 a.m. and returning on foot at 4:54 a.m. Police say no one else entered or left the home during that time. Benson placed the 911 call at 5:01 a.m.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet released autopsy results. Benson remains in custody on a Department of Corrections hold. Judge Joseph Klein set bail at $1 million with conditions including no use of drugs or alcohol, random testing, and no possession of weapons.
Benson is charged with second-degree murder with intent but not premeditation, a felony carrying a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison under Minnesota law.
For more information on Minnesota homicide statutes, visit the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.
