4 Sentenced In Death Of South Dakota County Man

DAKOTA COUNTY, MN — Four people were sentenced Thursday in the death of Chris Lafontaine, 55, in Dakota County's Greenvale Township, according to a news release from the Dakota County Attorney's Office.

Nicholas Alan Taylor, 30, of St. Paul, got 21 years in prison after pleading guilty in February to one count of second-degree murder.

Timothy Tuit, 36, of South St. Paul, got more than 7 years in prison after pleading guilty in December to one count of aiding an offender.

Ryann Elizabeth Smith, 23, of White Bear Lake, got more than 6 years in prison, after pleading guilty in March to one count of first-degree assault.

Stephanie Peabody, 26, of Welch, was sentenced to 69 months in prison and 335 days in jail, but she was placed on probation for 10 years, during which time the prison sentence will be stayed. She pleaded guilty in December to one count of aiding an offender.

According to prosecutors, the four must pay restitution of a total of $31,259.32.

On the afternoon of July 2, 2021, the Dakota County Sheriff's Office was dispatched to a burglary in progress in Greenvale Township. The caller told police that when they knocked on the door to check on Lafontaine, two men ran out of his house, prosecutors said.

Deputies found Lafontaine dead in his bathroom. According to prosecutors, he had been suffocated with a rag and glove held in his mouth by a ligature wrapped around his head.

After deputies found Lafontaine's body, Northfield police officers spotted his car and tried to pull it over. The driver sped away, but eventually stopped the car, and prosecutors said three men ran into a nearby wood.

Officers arrested Peabody and Tuit after the foot chase, prosecutors said. Taylor and Smith were arrested later in Montana.