2 teens charged in North St. Paul murder

Prosecutors have now formally charged two teenagers with second-degree murder in connection with a man’s death in North St. Paul last week.

The update brings the total number of people charged in 24-year-old Anthony R. Rojas’s death to six.

As previously reported, three people were arrested and charged last week — two for murder and one for gun possession. Police then announced the arrest of another man on Tuesday and noted charges were expected against the 16- and 17-year-old this week.

Rojas was found dead in an apartment on June 19 after police received a report of a man with a gun in the building and a woman was yelling, “He’s dead, he’s dead.”

A short time after police were called to the apartment, another person called 911 and reported a boy with a gun in his pocket had dropped two bags of guns a short distance away. Police recovered a black backpack and a blue bag that had 15 Glocks inside, court documents state.

According to court documents, neighbors told police that Rojas seemed to be partying with a group of men and a woman all day, and an argument was heard shortly before a gunshot.

Police say they recovered about 20 guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition during the investigation.

The 16- and 17-year-old are each facing second-degree murder charges in connection to Rojas’s death.

The shooting remains under investigation but the court documents note that investigators saw Rojas posted a picture on social media around 12 hours before he died that showed thousands of dollars in cash laid out on his bed. That money wasn’t found in his apartment after the shooting.