Minnesota mom found guilty of murder for killing young sons and setting fire to home
03/03/2026 5:30 pm PST
MINNEAPOLIS (TCN) -- Following a two-week trial, a woman was found guilty on five counts of murder and one count of arson in connection with the 2024 deaths of two of her children.
On Feb. 26, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota announced a jury found Jennifer Stately, 37, guilty on all six charges. She had unsuccessfully pursued an insanity defense during the trial.
According to the U.S. attorney’s office, evidence at trial showed Stately attacked two of her sons, Remi Stately, 6, and Tristan Stately, 5, with a knife at their home on Minnesota’s Red Lake Nation on March 15, 2024. She fatally stabbed Remi Stately before setting the house on fire.
An investigation revealed she started three fires with lighter fluid and gasoline at exit and entry points of the home to prevent Tristan Stately from escaping. He died from smoke inhalation.
Law & Crime reports Stately fled the home with her 3-year-old son, Ethan, who suffered burns to 95% of his body.
After setting fire to her home, Stately went missing for several hours, the U.S. attorney’s office said. The Red Lake Tribal Police Department issued an Amber Alert and she was spotted by a motorist less than an hour later about 150 miles from the home, apprehended, and booked into jail.
According to court records obtained by Law & Crime, Ethan Stately had not been changed or washed in days when he was found with his mother. His teeth were reportedly so rotted he could not eat properly.
Remi Stately’s obituary described him as a fun-loving boy who loved his siblings and the movie “Toy Story,” and Tristan Stately’s described him as protective of his brothers, Law & Crime reports.
Stately’s sentencing date has not yet been set.
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Minnesota mother accused of stabbing her two young sons and setting their home on fire — True Crime News
