Crime & Safety
Woman Pleads Guilty In Inver Grove Heights Killing Over Erotic Massage
A woman charged in the killing of a man at his Inver Grove Heights house has pleaded guilty.
INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, MN — A 25-year-old woman has admitted to her role in the killing of an Inver Grove Heights man, Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena announced Friday.
Fotini Anest West pled guilty to one count of murder in the second degree in connection with the shooting death of 43-year-old Michael Chang-Beom Lee at his home in Inver Grove Heights on Sept. 24.
Judge Tim Wermager set the sentencing hearing for May 3.
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The sentencing hearing for West's co-defendant — who was convicted of the same charge on Jan. 31 — is scheduled for the same time.
West and Logan D. Slack each face a maximum of 40 years in prison.
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The killing happened after a dispute over an erotic massage, authorities said.
According to the criminal complaint, on Sept. 24 at about 2 a.m., police responded to a residence in Inver Grove Heights after a dispatcher heard a man yelling "help me" and "they are trying to get into my house" during an open line call.
The man's voice then goes silent, and it sounded like the phone was outside in the wind, according to authorities.
Witnesses at the scene told officers they saw a dark, old SUV drive off seconds before police arrived, according to the criminal complaint. An SUV matching that description was later stopped by police near 80th Street and Barbara Avenue, according to authorities.
West and Slack were in the car, the criminal complaint states. West — explaining why she had blood on her body — told an officer that she was assaulted, according to authorities.
Later, in an interview at the Dakota County Jail, Slack told police that he dropped West off at Lee's house for an erotic massage in exchange for money, the criminal complaint states. However, West later left the house and said that Lee assaulted her and wouldn't pay her, according to authorities.
Slack then grabbed a revolver from the SUV and broke into the back of the house, according to the criminal complaint. Lee then hid in the basement bathroom and locked the door, authorities said.
Slack broke into the bathroom and shot Lee in the back, according to the criminal complaint. Police said they later found a revolver in the SUV.
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