On a spring evening in South Saint Paul, Minnesota, the life of a Caucasian male named Anthony Skelley, aged 17, was tragically cut short. On May 8, 2022, a night that happened to be Mother's Day, shots rang out on the 1700 block of Conver Avenue. Responding to reports of gunfire around 10:42 p.m., police officers arrived to find Skelley lying unresponsive in the street. He had sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his head, torso, and shoulder and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Found near his body were 9mm shell casings, a small bag of marijuana, a cellphone, and a BB gun in his hand.
The investigation into the shooting quickly revealed it was not a random act of violence. Detectives examined Skelley's cellphone and discovered a series of text messages with another 17-year-old, Casimir Anthony Semlak, concerning the sale of marijuana. The final message from Semlak simply said, "here." A person inside Skelley's home at the time told investigators they heard Skelley say something like, "OK, I'm coming out," just moments before the fatal shots were fired. Neighbors reported seeing a white or silver four-door vehicle with a damaged taillight speeding away from the scene, an observation corroborated by footage from several doorbell cameras in the area.
Using the cellphone data, investigators linked the number to a Cash App account belonging to Semlak and were able to track his location. The following day, police located and arrested Semlak in a St. Paul park. At the time of his arrest, he was in possession of a loaded 9mm Hellcat handgun. Ballistic analysis confirmed that the bullets in Semlak's gun matched the shell casings found at the scene of the shooting, and his DNA was also found on the weapon. Phone data further placed him at Skelley's residence at the time of the murder.
Casimir Semlak, who was 17 at the time of the killing, was initially charged by juvenile petition with three counts of second-degree murder. The prosecution, however, filed a motion to have him certified to stand trial as an adult, a motion that was later granted. In January 2025, Semlak pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder for a drive-by shooting. As part of a plea agreement, the other two murder charges were dismissed. He was sentenced to 17 years in prison for the death of Anthony Skelley. An 18-year-old named Ta Mla was also reportedly charged with second-degree murder in connection to the incident.
