Man arrested, charged in Owatonna homicide

A man accused of killing a woman last week underneath a highway overpass in Owatonna has been arrested and charged with murder, court documents show.

According to a warrant filed Friday in Steele County, 38-year-old Jason Lee Horner faces one count each of second-degree murder and illegal possession of a firearm in connection with the death of 25-year-old Sabrina Schnoor.

A criminal complaint states Schnoor had mentioned to her friend that she needed to get a gun because Horner, her ex-boyfriend, had gotten a gun and she needed to protect herself. Horner allegedly had a history of abusing Schnoor and, at one point, had threatened to kill her.

Despite her friend’s warnings to stay away, Schnoor went to meet with Horner on Monday because she thought he was going to prison. At 7:26 p.m. that day, the friend asked Schnoor to share her location via a mobile app, Life360. The app last showed movement activity for Schnoor at 9:56 p.m.

Some of Schnoor’s friends became concerned the next day after they hadn’t heard from Schnoor. They followed the location data from the Life360 app and encountered her body beneath an Interstate 35 overpass near a set of railroad tracks, the complaint states.

Investigators say when they located Schnoor deceased, they found a bandolier with .410 caliber shotgun shells under her body, and one or two rounds were missing. Police did not find a firearm there.

Investigators reviewed footage from security cameras to determine what led up to Schnoor’s death.

She was seen with Horner around 9:35 p.m. outside the Casey’s near Horner’s home. From there, security cameras show the pair walking along the railroad tracks leading to the spot where Schnoor’s body was found, about a half-mile west of Casey’s. Horner allegedly pushed Schnoor in the head, and they were seen walking under the overpass together.

Horner is then seen “poking his head out” from under the bridge before he walks out alone, returns, and then leaves.

After Schnoor’s death was ruled a homicide, police issued a notice identifying Horner as the suspect. Owatonna police say he was taken into custody early Sunday morning after law enforcement executed a search warrant at an apartment in Waseca.