Anoka man pleads guilty to 2009 murder of infant daughter

A man who confessed to killing his baby daughter more than 14 years ago has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

Court documents show Benjamin Alexander Russell, 38, admitted to the 2009 murder of his 3-month-old child last summer but formally entered a guilty plea last week. His sentencing is set for July 31, and he faces a maximum of 40 years behind bars.

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Charges were filed in Anoka County in July 2022 when the baby’s mother reported to police that Russell admitted to her that he killed their child.

The criminal complaint states Russel said he held a pillow over the child’s face to “muffle the sound” of her crying while he went outside to smoke a cigarette.

He then called 911 after returning and seeing the child’s face was blue, the complaint states.

Russel reportedly told the mother that she had given him “the perfect alibi” because she had told him to take the pillows and blankets out of the crib the night before. That led him to lie to investigators about using a blanket to prop up the bottle “since he knew the blankets shouldn’t have been there,” documents show.

Detectives also spoke to others who said that Russell admitted to putting a pillow over the child’s face. Those people also “expressed great concern” because he also has two other young children and is “often overwhelmed caring for them” the complaint states.