KELLOGG, MINNESOTA — A 44-year-old Minnesota man has been charged with murder and manslaughter after allegedly fatally shooting his girlfriend and attempting to evade arrest by hiding in a tree during an hours-long police standoff.
According to the Wabasha County Sheriff’s Office, Craig Hameister was arrested on June 19 and charged in connection with the killing of Melissa Hunt, 36, following a dramatic manhunt across southeastern Minnesota.
The incident began when a homeowner in Kellogg, roughly 90 miles southeast of Minneapolis, called police after Hunt drove onto their property, gravely wounded. Officers found her with severe injuries to her face and jaw. Before being taken to the hospital, Hunt told police that Hameister had attacked her with a stick at a nearby boat launch and provided a description of his white pickup truck, as well as his address.
Despite life-saving efforts, Hunt later died at the hospital. An autopsy revealed gunshot residue in her facial wounds, contradicting the initial account of a blunt force assault. Police found an unspent round of ammunition at the scene.
The investigation quickly led authorities to a residence in Chatfield, about 40 miles south of Kellogg, where Hameister’s vehicle was located with the driver-side door open. A 9mm round was spotted on the floor of the truck. Homeowners at that location told officers that Hameister had arrived acting “very frantic” and admitted that “something bad happened,” warning that the “cops would be coming.”
Another resident reported that a 9mm handgun had gone missing shortly after Hameister left the home on a motorcycle.
As the search intensified, the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office joined the operation. Hameister was eventually located in a wooded area, where he had climbed a tree in an attempt to avoid capture. According to the criminal complaint, the suspect held an hours-long standoff with authorities from the tree canopy before surrendering.
A 9mm handgun was later found at the base of the tree, believed to be the murder weapon.
Hameister has since been charged with:
- Second-degree murder with intent
- Second-degree murder without intent
- Second-degree manslaughter
He is currently being held in Wabasha County Jail on a $2 million bond.
The case remains under active investigation, with further charges possible as forensic evidence is processed.
