Burnsville Man Gets Life For Killing His 82-Year-Old Mother

BURNSVILLE, MN — A Burnsville man has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing and dismembering his 82-year-old mother in 2022, Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena announced Tuesday.

Troy Michael Mitteness, 58, was convicted Aug. 13 of premeditated first-degree murder and intentional second-degree murder in the death of his mother, Sandra Viola Mitteness.

According to court records, Mitteness fatally stabbed Sandra at his Burnsville home in June 2022 after depleting her financial resources and fearing she had grown suspicious.

Days later, investigators said, he dismembered her body and discarded the remains along highways while driving from Burnsville to Appleton, Minnesota.

Judge Richelle M. Wahi handed down the sentence.

“I want to extend my gratitude to everyone involved in this case, particularly the jurors who were exposed to and had to consider some very grisly facts,” Keena said in a statement.

Mitteness remains in custody at the Dakota County Jail awaiting transfer to the state Department of Corrections.

In June 2023, Burnsville police launched a mail theft investigation into Mitteness. Money from several mail thefts had been deposited into an account belonging to the man's mother, Sandra Viola Mitteness, according to police.

Officers asked Mitteness about his mother's whereabouts so they could question her about the deposits into her account. Mitteness initially told police she was in Milbank, South Dakota but then said she had died, according to the criminal complaint.

Police found an obituary for Sandra at Mitteness' residence that stated she died on June 14, 2022, authorities said.

Officers also found information for a funeral home, but the funeral home denied ever providing post-mortem care or funeral-related services for Sandra, the criminal complaint states.

Police interviewed several family members who said they believed Sandra died in the past year. Mitteness told relatives that Sandra was injured after falling down stairs, the criminal complaint states.

When family members asked about seeing her in the hospital, Mitteness said Sandra had COVID-19 and could not have visitors, according to authorities. Mitteness later told them she died, the criminal complaint states.

Police tracked down Sandra's car, which had been sold. The new owner allowed officers to examine the car, and an alternative light source gave indications of the presence of blood in the trunk, the criminal complaint states.

Officers then found similar indications of blood at Mitteness' home on July 6, 2023, investigators said, including a mattress and box spring that had large dark red stains.

During a police interview, Mitteness admitted to killing his mother because he had spent all of her money and she was becoming suspicious, according to the criminal complaint.

Mitteness further admitted he killed his mother on June 2, 2022, in his Burnsville home by stabbing her in the neck with a large kitchen knife, authorities said. He dismembered her body and placed her body parts in different large plastic tote bins that he had in his garage, according to the criminal complaint.

He then drove with the bins in his car from Burnsville toward Appleton, Minnesota, and threw body parts into the ditch as he drove, authorities said.