West St. Paul Woman Sentenced For Murder Of Her Aunt

WEST ST. PAUL, MN — Divina Marie Sulentich, 41, has been sentenced to 21 years in prison for the strangulation death of her aunt Mary Susan Sulentich, 60, of West St. Paul, in early July of 2017, Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom announced.

Sulentich pled guilty on Aug. 29 to one count of murder in the second degree.

"This was a domestic-related assault that senselessly resulted in the loss of a life in our community. We are pleased to have brought Divina Sulentich to justice for this violent crime," Backstrom said.

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Here is a summary of the allegations in the case:

On July 12, 2017, a witness entered Mary Sulentich's apartment to conduct a welfare check on the victim. Upon entering the apartment, the witness found the victim dead and called 911. When officers arrived they found the victim lying on her back on a bed. The cause of death was not readily apparent. The witness who located the body told police that the victim's niece had been living with her since April to assist her following knee surgery. It was determined that West St. Paul police officers had previously been dispatched to the apartment on July 8 at approximately 10:30 p.m. after the victim reported she was having an argument with her niece.

Divina Sulentich was located and interviewed. She said that after police officers left the apartment on the evening of July 8, she also left and went to the community room in the apartment building, but later returned.

Upon her return, Divina Sulentich said she saw the victim holding a cell phone. The victim threatened to tell others about Divina Sulentich's illegal purchases of Vicodin and from whom she was purchasing it. The Divina Sulentich said she took the victim's cell phone from her and broke it in half. She said she grabbed and shook the victim, and as they struggled they eventually ended up on the victim's bed. The defendant said she was on top of the victim and squeezed the victim's neck until she went limp. She told police she stayed in the apartment all day on July 9th, contemplating what she should do, and then left in the victim's car on July 10th without reporting her death.

The medical examiner determined that the cause of the victim's death was fractured thyroid cartilages on each side of her neck. These injuries were determined to be consistent with manual strangulation.

Backstrom expressed his deep sympathy to the family and friends of Mary Sulentich for their loss. Backstrom praised Assistant County Attorney Amy Schaffer who prosecuted the case.

Image via Shutterstock; mug of Divina Marie Sulentich via Dakota County Sheriff's Office