20-year-old charged in October homicide on St. Paul’s North End
![Courtesy of Ramsey County Jail](https://kstp.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Kastedell-Thomas-Jr.-Ramsey.jpg)
Courtesy of Ramsey County Jail
A 20-year-old man has been charged in connection with the Oct. 14 killing of 42-year-old Nicholas Sletten of Little Canada on St. Paul’s North End.
Kastedell Larmarr Thomas Jr. faces two counts of second-degree murder.
As previously reported, officers responded to the intersection of Jackson Street and Wheelock Parkway on a report of a shooting around 9:25 p.m. on Oct. 14. According to a criminal complaint, callers reported people running from a truck at the intersection that had all its doors open.
Officers found Sletten lying near the intersection with a gunshot wound that entered his back and exited through his stomach. They gave him CPR until medics arrived and brought him to the hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
Sletten’s truck was found at the intersection with all four doors open. The driver’s door had been hit by a bullet, according to court documents.
A witness told police she was at a stop sign at the intersection at the time of the shooting. She heard the shot and saw people running from the truck, telling police she thought the man had been shot from inside the vehicle.
Sletten’s brother told police that Sletten grew and sold marijuana. His sister-in-law said that around the time of the shooting, Sletten’s dogs ran to their house and she saw his truck at the intersection with the doors open. She added that Sletten sold marijuana and sometimes used M30 pills, but didn’t know if he sold the pills.
Officers recovered DNA, fingerprints and a 7.62×39 mm casing from the truck.
Surveillance video from the area showed three people running south around the time of the shooting. Video showed that five men got into Sletten’s truck before the shooting.
Investigators used cell phone and social media data to identify two of the people who were in the truck. Thomas’ fingerprints were also found on the rear door and window of the truck, court documents state.
One of the men who was identified as having been in the truck told investigators that he heard someone say, “Don’t move,” and that Sletten was trying to get out of the truck when he was shot. He added that Thomas had reached around Sletten’s seat with an AK-47-style gun and shot Sletten.
The men ran to the witness’ home after the murder.
Another witness said they were driving to Speedway and everyone got out and went inside except for Thomas and Sletten. When the group returned, Thomas was sitting directly behind Sletten.
After leaving Speedway, Thomas and another man pulled out guns and tried to rob Sletten. The witness said Thomas reached around the driver’s seat and shot Sletten.
The witness added that after the shooting, Thomas and the other man cleaned their guns with bleach. He said he didn’t believe Sletten had drugs on him that night but that Thomas and the other man were probably looking for drugs when they tried to rob him.
Court documents note that Thomas has prior cases for third-degree assault and possessing a firearm as a minor.