Nobles County Chris Kruse and the Prairie Justice Center in Worthington
Christopher Kruse called 911 in the early hours of the morning on August 19, 2015, to report that his wife, 40-year-old Janette Pigman-Kruse, had just been shot and killed. He said an intruder had broken into their home in the small town of Brewster, Minnesota, just northeast of Worthington, and shot her while they slept.
In the years that followed, the murder remained unsolved and the family planted a vegetable garden for Pigman-Kruse, which Kruse and their daughter helped to make and expand, the West Central Tribune wrote. However, nearly four years after his wife’s death, in April 2019, Kruse was arrested and charged with first-degree premeditated murder, The Globe reported. His trial began in January 2020.
Where is Christopher Kruse today?
Kruse Was Found Not Guilty of the First- or Second-Degree Murder of His Wife in February 2020
After a long, eight-day trial including 41 witnesses, the jury deliberated for nearly 12 hours before finding Kruse not guilty of the first- or second-degree murder of his wife, The Globe reported at the time. That means Kruse is protected from being re-tried on those charges even if additional evidence is found, due to his Fifth Amendment right.
The outlet wrote that after the verdict, Nobles County Attorney Joseph Sanow issued a statement that reads in part: “We are disappointed with the jury’s verdict of not guilty. We continue to believe that on Aug. 19, 2015, Christopher Kruse intentionally shot and killed Janette Pigman-Kruse in the bedroom of their Brewster home. However, we are sworn to support the federal and state constitutions, both of which give individuals accused of a crime the right to have their guilt or innocence determined by a jury. We support that right, regardless of the outcome.”
The state later said there were no further leads or suspects and the Pigman-Kruse murder case was officially closed, Heavy learned.
In August 2020, Kruse Requested to Have His Murder Charge & Jury Trial Information Sealed From the Public Record
After Kruse was acquitted of his wife’s murder, he requested that his record of being charged with first-degree murder and jury trial be expunged. That would mean it would no longer appear in a background check or other situations. On August 20, the Fifth Judicial District Judge Terry Vajgrt granted Kruse’s request for expungement and his records to be sealed, The Globe reported.
Kruse, who has since moved to Worthington, has kept a low profile since his acquittal and not much is known about his personal life in the past few months, although he did participate in the Dateline episode to share his story. His decision to appear on Dateline was brought up during his expungement hearing in August, as prosecutors argued that his interview is “utterly inconsistent with wanting to have the facts of this case kept private,” The Globe wrote.
Defense attorney Steven Groschen said that Kruse has already been through the judicial process and was acquitted so his record should be closed. The judge ordered that Kruse’s case records be sealed as of October 19, 2020.
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