West St. Paul Man Convicted of Second-Degree Murder in Group Home Stabbing
WEST ST PAUL, MINNESOTA - John C. Adams II, 43, of West St. Paul, has been found guilty of intentional second-degree murder for the 2020 fatal stabbing of 68-year-old David Eugene Rahn. The verdict was delivered after a Dakota County jury deliberated for less than an hour following a four-day trial. Sentencing is scheduled for December 20, 2024.
Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena announced the conviction, hoping the verdict would bring some measure of justice to Rahn’s family. She praised the efforts of the prosecution team, Chief Deputy Cheri Townsend and Assistant County Attorney Stephen Grego, as well as the West St. Paul Police Department and other agencies involved in the investigation.
The Incident
On the early morning of February 17, 2020, a staff member at a state-run group home in West St. Paul called 911, reporting a violent disturbance between two residents, Adams and Rahn. The staff member told dispatch that she had heard Rahn screaming for help from his bedroom. When she attempted to enter the room, someone blocked the door and told her, “It was ok.” Moments later, she reported that the noise stopped, and she grew concerned.
Officers from the West St. Paul Police Department responded to the call at approximately 3:51 a.m. Upon arrival, they observed a shirtless man—later identified as Adams—running from a place of worship across the street back into the group home. Inside Rahn’s bedroom, officers found him unresponsive on the floor, suffering from multiple stab wounds to his neck and back. Despite life-saving efforts by medics, Rahn was pronounced dead at the scene.
Adams initially told officers that Rahn had "busted into his room" and attacked him. Adams claimed the two wrestled before he ran to the kitchen to retrieve a knife in self-defense. When officers questioned the whereabouts of the knife, Adams said he had discarded it. Police later found a serrated kitchen knife, along with bloody gloves, in a trash can near the place of worship across the street.
During his interview with police, Adams gave a different account of the events, claiming that Rahn had been suicidal and had stabbed himself multiple times. Adams stated that he tried to intervene but ultimately grabbed the knife and fled to the church parking lot, where he said he cried before returning to the group home.
Medical Examiner’s Findings
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Rahn’s death a homicide, resulting from multiple sharp force injuries. An autopsy revealed that Rahn sustained several stab wounds to his face, neck, and upper body, as well as blunt force trauma to his head. Defensive wounds were also found on his hands, suggesting he had tried to fend off the attack.
Closing Remarks
Dakota County Attorney Keena expressed her gratitude to the West St. Paul, Inver Grove Heights, and South St. Paul Police Departments, along with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, for their role in the investigation.
Adams faces sentencing on December 20, 2024, at 9 a.m. in front of the Honorable Judge Michael Mayer.
Provided by the Dakota County Jail
Written by: Will Wight
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