On December 13, 2023, Jose De Jesus Diaz Fernandez, a 42-year-old man from Princeton, Minnesota, was fatally shot in his home on the 7800 block of 309th Avenue Northwest in Spencer Brook Township, Isanti County. The incident occurred around 6:36 a.m. when at least two individuals entered the residence, identifying themselves as police officers.
According to reports, the intruders ordered Fernandez to put his hands up. A woman in the house, upon hearing this, took her child and hid. She then heard gunshots and, after believing the intruders had left, emerged to find Fernandez lying on the floor near the front entry with a gunshot wound. Fernandez was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Isanti County Sheriff's Office arrested four individuals in connection with the homicide: Jesse Mateo Rodrigues Fredy Saavedra Olivar Abraham Alexander Houle and Jerold Allen Downs. All four were charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of first-degree burglary.
Investigations revealed that the incident was allegedly part of a staged robbery gone wrong. Olivar, who reportedly owed a $50,000 drug debt to Fernandez, is believed to have hired the other three men to rob what was described as a 'stash house' containing money and drugs. The plan was allegedly devised to get out of a debt owed to a cartel organization, with the belief that staging a robbery would lead to their debts being forgiven.
The suspects allegedly entered the house dressed as police officers. During the incident, shots were fired, resulting in Fernandez's death. One of the suspects, Downs, identified Rodrigues as the shooter, although Rodrigues denied firing a gun. The investigation also uncovered that Houle had been shot in the stomach during the incident.
In a subsequent development, on November 8, 2024, it was reported that Fredy Saavedra Olivar, who orchestrated the planned burglary that led to Fernandez's death, was found guilty. Olivar was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder, with three remaining defendants still pending trial.
