Charges: Man accused in Bloomington stabbing that killed 1, hurt another blamed intruder

A man accused of killing a man and seriously injuring a woman in their Bloomington home last week told police he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

On Monday morning, prosecutors formally charged 44-year-old Adam Garrett Roring with second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder for the attack that killed 74-year-old Mark Alan Novak and left Novak’s wife hospitalized.

Novak had previously served one term as the mayor of Janesville, Minn. On Monday, the city administrator provided the following statement to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS:

“Mayor Mark Novak served as Janesville Mayor for one term, from January 2011 through December 2013. Prior to that, he served on the Economic Development Authority and with the Chamber of Commerce. He and his wife Pam were Janesville residents for several years. Both were very active in the community by volunteering in many ways for various community events. Mark will be missed by many friends in our community. We hope for a speedy recovery for Pam. As details develop, the Mayor and I plan to offer more information and comments within in a few days.”

Clinton Rogers, City Administrator for the City of Janesville, Minn.

Police say the attack happened at around 4:40 a.m. on Aug. 24 in the 1000 block of 105th Street West.

Bloomington police said officers were told that a 72-year-old woman had called for help, saying someone was in her home. When officers arrived, they saw Roring leave the home from an open window. He ran but was taken into custody.

Inside the home, officers found the woman and her husband, Novak, suffering from serious injuries. They were both taken to a hospital where Novak was pronounced dead.

The woman told officers that she and her husband were awoken by a man who was beating them with an unknown object, according to the criminal complaint. While she was able to escape, her husband did not.

Court documents state the woman suffered extensive injuries to her head and face, including multiple facial fractures, a left orbital fracture, two nasal fractures, cuts to her face, neck and head, two broken fingers and a possible broken wrist. As of Monday, the woman was still hospitalized in critical but stable condition.

A large knife was found with what appeared to be blood in the sink, and officers also noted that Roring had a metal bar and a partial nunchuck that appeared to have blood on them when he was arrested.

In a police interview, Roring told officers that he’d gone to the home just to return a house key that belonged to the couple but he found an intruder in the home. Court documents add that Roring claimed he struggled with the intruder and got the weapons from the intruder before the person escaped out the front door.

Roring is scheduled to make his first court appearance Tuesday afternoon. He faces up to 40 years in prison for murder and 20 for attempted murder and is being held on a $1.5 million bail.