GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. — A 23-year-old Grand Rapids woman pleaded guilty Friday in the stabbing and beheading death of a Hibbing man last June.
In exchange for a guilty plea to a lesser charge and future testimony, Kayleene Danielle Greniger avoided facing trial on a first-degree murder charge, which comes with the potential for life in prison.
Greniger and Joseph Christen Thoresen, 36, of Grand Rapids, were indicted on first-degree murder charges last October in connection with the death of David Haiman, 20, of Hibbing.
The indictments were based on allegations that Greniger and Thoresen assaulted Haiman at their apartment, kidnapped him and later assaulted him again with a baseball bat, knife and machete, causing his death, said the news release.
Greniger pleaded guilty in Itasca County District Court to second-degree intentional killing and faces between 27 to 30 years in prison, based on sentencing guidelines. Her sentencing was initially scheduled for Dec. 4.
The agreement with County Attorney John Muhar “includes that Greniger would be required to testify truthfully and completely at any hearing or trial regarding this incident.” Greniger’s sentencing will occur only after the Thoresen case is concluded, the news release said.
Haiman’s body was found in the Ball Club area of rural Itasca County in late June, several days after he was reported missing.
Greniger told investigators that she was upset when Haiman made plans to visit the apartment she shared with Thoresen on June 20 because of the alleged assault that occurred days earlier.
She admitted that she and Thoresen assaulted Haiman when he arrived, tying him up with a rope and punching him repeatedly, breaking his nose in the process.
Greniger reported that she then left the apartment with the two men to look for drugs. She said they smoked marijuana and meth and went for a drive in the woods in Haiman’s car, with Thoresen driving.
Greniger told investigators that Thoresen stopped the vehicle in a wooded area, claiming to have mechanical issues.
She said the men went to look under the hood before Thoresen struck Haiman with a baseball bat and stabbed him multiple times with what she described as a “large black knife.” She said Thoresen then grabbed a knife from Haiman’s belt loop and cut off his head.
Police said Greniger reported that her boyfriend then disposed of Haiman’s body in the woods and drove home to clean up. The machete was later found under the bed in the couple’s Grand Rapids apartment.