A man charged with shooting his grandfather dead at the behest of his mother has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and will testify against the mother.
Jacob Kempainen, 22, entered his plea deal last week, WLUC reported. An open murder charge along with conspiracy and firearm charges were dismissed.
According to Bringmethenews.com, Kempainen and his mother, Margaret Kempainen, left home in Minnesota on December 7, 2023, heading to the home of Margaret Kempainen’s father-in-law, 87-year-old Alvin Kempainen. Her husband told police that he had no contact with her and his children after they left and that he was concerned they were heading to his father’s house in Wisconsin.
He reported a text from his father that they had arrived, but Alvin Kempainen didn’t reply any further.
Authorities found Alvin Kempainen dead from a gunshot wound on December 19, then traced Margaret Kempainen and her son via license plate readers, arresting them at a gas station in Iowa that same day.
But Margaret and Jacob Kempainen claimed that the man they killed was not Alvin Kempainen. A search warrant said that Jacob told investigators they believed his grandfather was already dead when they arrived at the house to “seek shelter.”
“[Jacob] advised that the spirits stated grandpa opened the well up behind the house and the spirits killed him,” the search warrant reads.
Margaret Kempainen made similar statements, telling investigators the man they found “was able to get up like a 20 year old” and was “not her father in law.”
They were headed to Iowa to “start over,” she said.
The search warrant noted that many of the claims they made about Alvin Kempainen were similar to the plot of the horror movie “The Visit.”
Houghton County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Helmer told WLUC that he ultimately agreed to the plea deal with Jacob Kempainen after learning “Iowa police did not honor his request” for a lawyer during questioning.
In court Thursday, Jacob Kempainen admitted driving the his grandfather’s house and shooting him, then shooting him again at his mother’s encouragement. His sentencing has not been scheduled, and he will testify against his mother when her trial begins next year.
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[Featured image: Margaret and Jacob Kempainen/police]
