Joshua Robert Downey, a 52-year-old White man from Mankato, Minnesota, was remembered by loved ones as a devoted father, a hard worker, and a genuinely kind person. He was the Parks Supervisor for Blue Earth County, where colleagues said he “cared very deeply for the parks.” Above all, he loved his two children, Gracie and Jacob. A family tribute noted, “His greatest joy in life was being their dad.”
On the afternoon of Sunday, April 26, 2026, Downey was watching a movie with his
37-year-old girlfriend, Rosalyn Marie Rode, at her Mankato townhome on Castle Pines Drive. According to a criminal complaint, Rode’s ex-boyfriend, 44-year-old Joseph David Bulfer, forced his way into the residence. He ran upstairs, opened the bedroom door, and immediately began shooting at Downey with an AR-15 rifle. Police later found approximately 20 spent shell casings in the room. A provisional autopsy revealed Downey had suffered catastrophic injuries, including multiple gunshot wounds to his head, face, torso, and arms.
After shooting Downey, Bulfer turned his attention to Rode. He allegedly assaulted her, striking her multiple times with the rifle and his hands while blaming her for the shooting. The complaint states he forced her into a bathroom, ordered her into the bathtub so he could “drain her blood,” and threatened to kill her. While in the bathroom, Rode managed to secretly call 911 and hide her phone. Dispatchers on the open line heard Bulfer tell her, “you just caused [Downey] to die” and “Do you want me to pull the trigger?” as Rode pleaded for her life.
Police arrived after receiving Rode’s 911 call and a report of gunshots from a neighbor. As officers approached the home, they heard another gunshot from upstairs. Bulfer then emerged from a room, threw a rifle into a bedroom, and surrendered. He told officers Rode was in the bathroom and that Downey was “f---ing dead.” While being escorted to a squad car, he reportedly said, “Hey sorry guys. Didn’t mean to get you out here today.” Officers found Downey deceased on the bedroom floor. Rode was found in the bathroom covered in blood and was hospitalized for a collapsed lung, broken ribs, a head laceration, and numerous contusions.
Joseph David Bulfer of Fairmont was arrested at the scene. Investigators learned that Rode had ended her relationship with Bulfer in December 2025 and that he “could not handle” her new relationship with Downey. Court records showed Bulfer had prior felony convictions for violent crimes, including domestic assault by strangulation, and was prohibited from possessing firearms. In July 2026, a Blue Earth County grand jury indicted Bulfer on 13 felony counts, including first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree assault, and first-degree burglary. As of that month, the case was proceeding through the court system.
