Tenant Homicide in our St Paul Duplex
We woke up to some very disturbing news this morning. One of our duplex tenants notified us that the couple living in the other unit had a big argument early this morning. According to that tenant, the male shot and killed the female in the hallway of the duplex. I went to the property and there was police tape around it. I identified myself as the property owner and the officer on duty shared that the investigators would be there for several more hours before we can reoccupy the property.
I do plan to contact my attorney and insurance company, but would appreciate hearing from any BP colleagues regarding any experiences, advice and outcomes with this type of scenario. Thank you!
Quote from @Rich Leone:
We woke up to some very disturbing news this morning. One of our duplex tenants notified us that the couple living in the other unit had a big argument early this morning. According to that tenant, the male shot and killed the female in the hallway of the duplex. I went to the property and there was police tape around it. I identified myself as the property owner and the officer on duty shared that the investigators would be there for several more hours before we can reoccupy the property.
I do plan to contact my attorney and insurance company, but would appreciate hearing from any BP colleagues regarding any experiences, advice and outcomes with this type of scenario. Thank you!
Share contact information with the detective and explain your predicament. You'll need family members to empty the rental so you can take it back. When they notify relatives, they can also pass on your contact information.
When they contact you, express sympathy. Coordinate access and a deadline for removal. Do not just give them cart blanche access because they may pull out the items of value and leave you with a lot to remove and clean. They may decide to move in and refuse to leave. Ask me how I know.
You may even consider a written agreement where both parties agree on who does what, deadline, consequences, etc.
Bio hazmat cleaning can get expensive depending on the amount. You may want to contact insurance.
@Nathan Gesner It's a bit complex as the couple was placed there through a social services program. The program covers about 80% of the rent, but they are currently 2 months behind due to some paperwork issues. The couple was making their 20% payment. We were getting ready to take action on that situation, but then they applied for rent relief through a MN-based Covid-19 fund, which then places a moratorium on evictions. However, a crime being committed is legitimate cause to cancel the lease. I did chat with the investigating detective and am waiting for a call back from my attorney and insurance agent. I feel like it would be prudent to change locks right away, especially for the common area, but feel like that's not proper from a legal perspective.
This is a sad situation. I agree with Nathan on showing compassion for the family and also the other tenant. In my experience, working for a very large property management company, crimes like this have an effect on others who overheard or witnessed the occurrence.
I'm assuming you self-manage? If so, and there are no other tenants you are aware of, I would change the locks (but be sure to comply with the detective's needs) because you don't know who could have a key. It will take some time to get hazmat there and you do not want to disturb the crime scene, their belongings, or allow anyone else to either. Is there a way to seal off the hallway area but still allow the other tenant access to their door? People can do all sorts of crazy things in a situation like this. We had a tenant once who filmed the crime scene clean-up in action and placed it on YouTube. Very disturbing! But how heartbreaking for the family as well to view the crime scene should they just show up and try to get in. In addition, to me, there is some level of moral responsibility to create a peaceful living environment for the other tenant since they are still next door. Let us know what you learn from your attorney and insurance agent. I'll be curious to hear your chosen solutions.
@Melissa Robbins - Yes, we have been in contact and providing what support we can to the other tenant as she was the main witness to the crime. We inspected the property and will be bringing in a company called Aftermath to help with cleanup in the common area. The police detective indicated they are in possession of one set of keys in their evidence locker and we noted the other set was on a table in the unit. (We only issued 2 sets of keys). Of course, there could be more sets out there if they were duplicated without permission. I've reached out to director of the program that placed them in my unit and hope to be able to connect to the victims family through them.
@Nathan G. Quick dumb question, does your homeowners insurance cover bio hazmat cleaning or do you have to come out of pocket? I know there's no straight answer to this but what have you seen before?
Quote from @Jeroh Odafe:
@Nathan G. Quick dumb question, does your homeowners insurance cover bio hazmat cleaning or do you have to come out of pocket? I know there's no straight answer to this but what have you seen before?
I believe it can, but I've never had anything big enough to file a claim.
Got a call from one of our crews one day that one of our homes was on the news last night. House had a unique doorway and he saw police standing in it. All we know was a man from one house had an ongoing dispute with a neighbor and they decided to have a duel. One dead, the other wounded but alive. Had no idea who was who. Drove by the home later that day and no police tape, nothing, home all closed up per normal.
Calls/emails/letters to the tenants went unanswered for ~2 Weeks when the mother of the tenant called to let us know that her son-in-law was killed. Said he and the neighbor fought over garbage cans and it turned into a gun fight. The wife (the named tenant for us) and the kids were moving out at the end of the month. This was during COVID, tenant owed a couple of thousand, had applied for state covid relief but didn't come in yet (nor did it ever). We still returned the full deposit even though the rent was owed, water was owed, damage to the home etc....there was a grieving family that needed help and that was one small way we could show compassion.
Showing compassion for everyone involved directly or indirectly is important and can be difficult because you are someone who needs compassion as well. You may have placed this couple in your home and had some sort of relationship with them even if it was business and very cursory.
No doubt you are in some state of shock and may have people looking to you for answers and directions and just keep in mind it is okay to say you don't know but will look into it. Allow yourself the time you need to gather the necessary info and decide on what is the best way forward.
Shocking for everyone, sorry this happened to the family, the deceased and to you.