4 Charged In Killing Near Northfield

GREENVALE TOWNSHIP, MN — Four people were charged in the July 2 killing of Chris Lafontaine in Greenvale Township, a small town that borders Northfield.

Lafontaine, 55, suffocated to death because of items in his mouth, according to police.

The Dakota County Attorney's Office charged Ryann E. Smith, 22, of White Bear Lake and Nicholas A. Taylor, 29, of St. Paul with second-degree murder. Authorities also charged Taylor with first-degree burglary.

The attorney's office charged Stephanie M. Peabody, 25, of Welch and Timothy W. Tuit, 36, of South St. Paul with aiding an offender and first-degree burglary.

Tuit made his first court appearance on the charges Monday. His bail was set at $400,000. Peabody, Smith and Taylor were charged by warrant complaint last week.

Smith and Taylor are in custody in Montana. Peabody is in custody in Rice County.

If convicted of murder, Smith and Taylor could serve up to 40 years in prison. Peabody and Tuit face up to 20 years in prison and a $35,000 fine if they are convicted of burglary.

County deputies found Lafontaine, 55, dead inside his house on Foliage Avenue in Greenvale Township on July 2 just before 5 p.m. while investigating a reported burglary. Witnesses told investigators they saw three people leave the house before deputies arrived.

Lafontaine's hands and feet were bound together with several cables, according to the criminal complaint. Cables were also wrapped around his mouth, police said.

Under the cables was a rag and glove that covered Lafontaine's mouth, according to the criminal complaint.

Northfield police officers saw Lafontaine's car, a Dodge Durango, and tried to pull it over, according to the criminal complaint. The Durango eventually stopped; three people in the SUV — identified as Peabody, Tuit and Taylor — went into the nearby woods, police said.

Northfield police found and arrested Peabody and Tuit. Taylor was arrested days later in Montana, along with Smith.

Smith and Taylor told police they tied up a man and hit him in the head with a flashlight, according to the criminal complaint.