Man to serve more than 30 years for fatally stabbing person he lived with at group home

A West St. Paul man will serve more than 30 years in prison for stabbing and killing a man he lived with at a group home in 2020.

On Friday, 43-year-old John C. Adams II was sentenced to 367 months in Dakota County Court.

Adams was found guilty by a jury on one count of intentional second-degree murder in the death of 68-year-old David Eugene Rahn.

The incident happened on Feb. 17, 2020, and the West St. Paul Police Chief called it “one of the most violent scenes our officers have ever encountered.”

A staff member said Rahn could be heard screaming for help, but when they attempted to enter the room, they found that someone was blocking the door, telling the staff member that everything was okay.

When officers arrived, they found Rahn in his room unresponsive and suffering from multiple stab wounds to his neck and back. While life-saving measures were attempted, Rahn was later declared dead at the scene.

Records obtained by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS found that Adams had a history of mental illness and violence that dates back to 2000 when Adams was accused of assaulting a woman at a restaurant, throwing a glass in her face and causing severe lacerations.

According to filings from the Department of Human Services, he was deemed “mentally ill and dangerous” and admitted to the Minnesota Security Hospital with psychotic symptoms, such as paranoid ideation and hallucinations.

Those issues appeared to be under control in recent years. After a special review board found Adams’ “violence risk was well-managed,” he was released back into the community to live at the Christensen House, an adult foster care.

The attorney who handled Adams’ mental health commitment told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that he was shocked by what happened. Doug McGuire said, in his 30-year career, he’s never had a client who was released to a group home do something like this, calling it “very rare and very unfortunate.”