Woman charged with murder after stabbing father in Lowry Hill neighborhood

Prosecutors have charged a woman with killing her father after a stabbing at their home Friday afternoon in Minneapolis’s Lowry Hill neighborhood.

Minneapolis police said officers were called to the home, located along Dupont Avenue South near Summit Avenue, just after 4:30 p.m. and found a man, later identified as 78-year-old Joseph Frederick Palen, suffering from multiple stab wounds. He died at the scene.

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Charging documents state that the victim’s daughter, 37-year-old Maria Angela Palen, was lying on the ground in the backyard and had dried blood on her. She tried to run when officers saw her but she was caught a short distance away.

Palen’s sister told officers that she hadn’t heard from her father that day so she stopped by his house and found him slumped over. She then called 911 and attempted to provide aid.

The sister then identified Palen as the person who likely killed her father, noting she also lived at the home, the complaint states.

Palen was arrested and told officers, “He’s always messing with me, my whole life, it’s like whoa, people saying murder me. He has always been very controlling and he just won’t let me go off on my own,” the complaint states.

It adds that, when asked about how the murder happened, she responded that her father “weirdly wanted me to do it.”

She’s now charged with second-degree murder and faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted. Her first court appearance is set for Wednesday afternoon.

The complaint notes that officers found bloody clothing in Palen’s bedroom and also found a large butcher knife with blood on it as well as scissors on the couch.