Woman charged in fatal Minneapolis stabbing pleads guilty

A woman charged in connection to a fatal Minneapolis stabbing in February has pleaded guilty.

Zara Jo Case, 36, entered a guilty plea to one count of second-degree murder Friday in Hennepin County court.

According to a criminal complaint, Minneapolis police officers were called to a residence in the 900 block of 15th Avenue at about 5:23 a.m. Feb. 15. A caller reported a neighbor dispute in her apartment building. When police arrived, they spoke with a witness who said Case had broken his window and she was trying to force her way into his home.

The complaint says officers met with Case, who appeared to be intoxicated. The officers were later able to convince Case to go back to her boyfriend's apartment. While officers were speaking with Case's boyfriend, the witness called 911 again, saying Case was trying to force her way into his apartment. Officers were able to return Case to her apartment by 6:05 a.m.

Woman charged in connection to fatal weekend stabbing in Minneapolis

Just a minute later, police received another call, this time about a woman on the street corner "screaming about her boyfriend stabbing himself." The complaint states officers returned and found Case's boyfriend with a stab wound to his chest. First responders did not think the wound was fatal at first, however, he later died at Hennepin County Medical Center. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office later identified him as 39-year-old Joseph Abraham McRunnel.

After executing a search warrant at the victim's apartment, police found a large kitchen knife with blood on it.

The complaint states Case later told officers, "I stabbed him. That's all there is to it."

Her sentencing is set for June 9.