St. Paul man pleads guilty in connection with fatal crash in Anoka County

Emily Baude KSTP

A St. Paul man pleaded guilty on Tuesday in connection with a car chase and crash that killed a woman and seriously injured another in Linwood, Minn.

Joseph Mario Cady, 42, is facing one count of criminal vehicular homicide, one count of criminal vehicular operation, one count of fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, and one count of receiving stolen property.

According to court documents, Cady took a plea deal. He agreed to plead guilty to criminal vehicular homicide and criminal vehicular operation and the other two charges will be dismissed. The state will also not ask for consecutive sentencing, according to court records.

According to the Wyoming police, officers were called to the Cartfull retail store on July 11, 2022, shortly before 11 a.m. for a report of shoplifting. An employee was able to get a license plate and description of Cady.

Officials say the plate belonged to a stolen Washington County vehicle, and it was found shortly before 11 a.m. on southbound I-35 before the driver exited to East Viking Boulevard and traveled into Anoka County.

In a subsequent police chase, Cady drove the Kia into the oncoming lane of traffic in order to pass a truck. The Kia hit a Lincoln MKX sedan head-on, according to the complaint.

The Kia and the Lincoln burst into flames immediately after the collision. The complaint noted that the passenger of the Kia was 30-year-old Jessica Lynn Sellers, who died at the hospital from injuries received in the crash. Cady was in critical condition immediately following the crash, according to the complaint.

The Lincoln’s driver, 59-year-old Debra Lee Hirsch of Wyoming, received serious injuries. The complaint said her two dogs were in the vehicle at the time of the crash; one died and one received severe injuries.

The main cause of the cars was determined to be reckless driving, Medical reports show that Cady had meth in his system at the time of the crash.