Jonathan Diaz, a 35-year-old Hispanic/Latino man, was fatally shot in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on the evening of July 1, 2024. The shooting was the culmination of a long-standing and bitter conflict between Diaz and his estranged wife's boyfriend. Diaz and his wife had been separated for four years, and she had been in a relationship with James Edward Hagen for three years.
The animosity between the two men had previously erupted into violence.
In August 2023, about ten months before Diaz's death, Hagen was shot in both legs at the same residence on the 800 block of York Avenue. Diaz's estranged wife told police she believed Diaz shot Hagen out of jealousy. However, Diaz was not charged because Hagen claimed not to know his attacker and authorities cited a lack of cooperation and spousal privilege. According to the girlfriend's daughter, Hagen later said he would kill Diaz the next time he saw him.
On the day of the fatal shooting, Diaz drove past the York Avenue home to see his son, which reportedly upset Hagen. Later that evening, a friend dropped Diaz off at the residence. Around 8:25 p.m., police responded to a call about a shooting. They arrived to find Diaz near a detached garage, with his estranged wife attempting CPR. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A medical examiner later determined that he had been shot six times.
The investigation quickly focused on Hagen. Witnesses, including his girlfriend's children, identified him as the shooter. One child told police that after the gunshots, Hagen yelled at her mother, "I told you I was going to kill him!" before fleeing on a bicycle. Investigators found a 9mm handgun in the garage and multiple spent casings at the scene. Hagen was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. After DNA evidence linked him to the handgun, prosecutors added a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The case against James Edward Hagen went to trial in Ramsey County. After deliberating for more than 15 hours over three days, a jury delivered its verdict in January 2025. Jurors found Hagen not guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Jonathan Diaz. They did, however, convict him of possessing a firearm as a felon. Following the verdict, the Ramsey County Attorney's Office issued a statement saying, "While we are disappointed in the outcome, we respect the jury's verdict in this case." Hagen's sentencing for the firearm conviction was scheduled for March.
