In the quiet town of Bemidji, Minnesota, a tragic series of events unfolded on the night of February 17, 2020, culminating in the death of 20-year-old Hispanic/Latino male, Lupe Rosillo of Cass Lake. Bemidji police officers responded to reports of multiple gunshots at approximately 10:30 p.m. at a residence on Minnesota Avenue NW. Upon their arrival, they discovered Rosillo lying in the front walkway of the house, having sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the torso.
He was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The investigation into Rosillo's death quickly revealed a complex situation that began with a plan to commit a robbery. According to witness statements and the subsequent investigation, Rosillo, along with a 17-year-old male and two women, had allegedly conspired to lure 18-year-old Antonio Vincente Parkhurst to the residence with the intention of robbing him. The plan took a deadly turn when Rosillo and the 17-year-old, wearing masks, rushed towards Parkhurst in a bedroom to assault and/or rob him. In what he later described to police as an act of self-defense, Parkhurst opened fire.
In the ensuing chaos, both Rosillo and the 17-year-old male were struck by gunfire. While Rosillo lay dying in the front yard, the 17-year-old was transported to Sanford Emergency Room by his brother for treatment of a gunshot wound and was later released. Police were initially met with conflicting accounts of the events of that night, but further investigation uncovered the alleged robbery plot.
Following the incident, law enforcement identified Antonio Vincente Parkhurst as the suspect. He was arrested on February 19, 2020, as he was walking in a hallway at a location on Ridgeway Avenue in Bemidji. Parkhurst, from Red Lake, was subsequently charged with second-degree murder in the death of Lupe Rosillo and second-degree assault in the shooting of the 17-year-old male. In addition to the charges against Parkhurst, two women, 18-year-old Deja Ilean Mattison and 19-year-old Lauryn Elizabeth Carroll Jones, were also charged with felonies for their alleged roles in conspiring to commit the robbery.
