OFFICE OF THE SAINT LOUIS COUNTY ATTORNEY
MARK S. RUBIN -- COUNTY ATTORNEY
NEWS RELEASE
April 21, 2015
CONTACT: Mark Stodghill, County Attorney’s Office
St. Louis County Courthouse
Duluth, MN 218-726-2323
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
21-year-old Brookston woman pleads guilty to murder
Lydia Marie Barney pleaded guilty Tuesday in State District Court to the intentional second-degree murder of her aunt, Waubunoquay Dawn Randall, at the victim's Stoney Brook Township home in October, St. Louis County Attorney Mark Rubin said.
Barney, 21, admitted that she used a kitchen knife to slay Ms. Randall. "I knew I was killing her, I didn't want her to suffer, I killed her, yes," the defendant said.
Under questioning by St. Louis County prosecutor Jessica Fralich, the defendant said she knew what she was doing, she wasn't acting in self defense and that she intentionally killed the victim.
Ms. Randall's body was found on Oct. 19, a day after she was last seen with the defendant. An autopsy determined that the 31-year-old woman died as a result of lacerations to her neck which caused a fatal loss of blood.
Judge Sally Tarnowski accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for July 16.
Ms. Randall's family members do not have any comment at this time and ask that the media respect their request for privacy.
The case was developed as a result of an investigation by the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office, the Fond du Lac Police Department and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.