On December 21, 2020, 56-year-old Todd Anthony Gerleman of South St. Paul, Minnesota, was fatally shot in a tragic incident stemming from domestic violence. The events unfolded when Gerleman accompanied a female friend to the residence of her boyfriend, Glenn Lee Burton, located on the 100 block of Larpenteur Avenue West in St. Paul. The woman had been in a relationship with Burton for approximately two weeks but had recently experienced possessive and abusive behavior from him.
Upon their arrival, Burton confronted his girlfriend, assaulting her physically by pulling her hair and punching her. During the altercation, he noticed Gerleman seated in the car and, in a fit of rage, fired a shot intended for his girlfriend, which missed and struck Gerleman in the arm. Burton then moved to the passenger side of the vehicle and shot Gerleman in the face at point-blank range. The woman managed to flee the scene and called 911 from a nearby gas station.
Law enforcement swiftly apprehended 40-year-old Glenn Lee Burton, who was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder in connection with Gerleman's death. In October 2023, Burton pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in the fatal shooting.
Gerleman's untimely death marked the 33rd homicide in St. Paul for the year 2020, contributing to a concerning rise in gun violence within the city. Despite the surge, investigators were able to make arrests in the majority of cases, with charges filed in 29 out of the 33 homicides that year.
The tragic loss of Todd Gerleman underscores the devastating impact of domestic violence, not only on intimate partners but also on friends and family members who may become inadvertently involved. His passing serves as a somber reminder of the far-reaching consequences such violence can have on a community.
