Minneapolis police, county attorney’s office announce arrest in murder of Susan Spiller

Minneapolis police and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office Tuesday announced an arrest and charges in the 2015 murder of a North Minneapolis community activist and artist.

Susan Spiller, 68, was found dead in her northside home at 5120 Dupont Ave. She was an artist and a member of the Lind-Bohannon Neighborhood Association.

Tom Arneson of the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said the suspect, now 18, was 14 at the time of Spiller’s murder, meaning second-degree murder charges have been filed in juvenile court.

“Because of the suspect’s age at the time of the murder, there is very little we are able to say right now about this case,” Arneson said.

Arneson said the break came when the suspect’s fingerprints were allegedly matched to those found at the scene. The suspect was arrested Monday and is being held in juvenile detention.

“The break in this case came when fingerprints from the murder scene were found to match the suspect’s,” he said. “That did not happen until just recently and it came up after the suspect had turned 18 and those fingerprints were taken in an unrelated case.”