A Minnesota woman living with her ex-husband shot him in the head and buried his body beneath a shed, authorities said.
Karina See Her, 40, was arrested Saturday in St. Paul after the body of her ex-husband, Kou Yang, 50, was found wrapped in “some type of material” beneath a newly built shed, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Star Tribune.
Yang’s body was discovered weeks after a neighbor called cops in early July to report a foul smell emanating from near Her’s backyard garden, saying it had persisted for about a week, the complaint states.
A 911 caller then requested for a welfare check for Yang on July 22, saying he had not been spotted in several weeks. Her, who lived in the same home with Yang despite being divorced, also called St. Paul police the same day to say she hadn’t seen him since July 1, according to the complaint.
Yang’s 17-year-old stepdaughter also called cops to report that she suspected Her killed him while sharing a text message she received from her 12-year-old sister, the complaint states.
The younger sister had indicated that she and Her drove to an area about 45 miles north, where Her took out a bag near holding a long object into a wooded area near Taylor Falls and came back to her car without it.
The 17-year-old stepdaughter told cops she found a hole in the backyard garden on July 2 and that it had been covered up with a tarp-like item. Her later constructed a shed over the hole, according to the complaint.
Her was taken into custody Saturday on suspicion of murder, St. Paul police said. Cops had gone to her home Thursday with a cadaver dog that reacted to the shed’s handle and door, the complaint shows.
Her said Yang had gone to Oklahoma to visit relatives and claimed the hole in the yard was from a tree stump she removed. She also blamed the bad smell on the property on pigeons that were kept in a nearby coop and claimed she left a bag of food in the wooded area in Taylor Falls, according to the report.
Investigators found Yang’s body beneath the shed Saturday. He had been shot twice in the back of the head, according to a medical examiner in Ramsey County.
Cops also found blood on a bedroom wall that was recently painted inside the couple’s residence, as well as in the garage and laundry room, the Star Tribune reported.
Her, who was charged Monday with second-degree intentional murder, remains jailed on $2 million bail ahead of a court appearance Tuesday. An attorney for the woman was not listed in court records, according to the newspaper.