Eileen Mark, a 67-year-old White female, lived in a seven-story housing complex in Minneapolis that served low-income tenants who were elderly or disabled. She was known by her neighbors and those she interacted with as a devoted mother and grandmother who was also a fun-loving person. She enjoyed volunteering and helping those in need, including dedicating her time to a local food shelf.
Her life, however, came to a tragic and violent end on the night of Saturday, February 9, 2019.
That evening, gunshots echoed through the apartment building near the St. Anthony Main neighborhood. When police responded to the reports, they discovered a grim scene inside Eileen's fourth-floor apartment. Eileen Mark had been fatally shot in the chest near the door of her unit. Also found in the apartment was the body of her 42-year-old daughter, Jennifer Ann Angerhofer, who had been visiting from Coon Rapids. Jennifer had been shot in the face and neck and was found in the kitchen. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner later confirmed their identities and the cause of their deaths.
The initial investigation created a sense of fear and unease among the residents of the normally quiet apartment complex. A neighbor, who described Eileen as "happy" and "caring," was the one who discovered the open door to her apartment and found her on the floor. Police began to piece together the events of that night, interviewing residents and reviewing surveillance footage from the secured building. Some neighbors reported hearing a man and woman arguing, followed by multiple gunshots.
Suspicion soon fell upon one of Eileen's neighbors, 46-year-old Richie Vessel, who lived in an apartment directly across the hall. Initially, when questioned by police on the night of the murders, Vessel claimed to have heard nothing. However, other residents provided information that raised red flags for investigators. They told police that Vessel had previously shown another resident a handgun and had even threatened to kill someone else in the building. Armed with this information, officers executed a search warrant on Vessel's apartment on the following Monday. Inside, they found what appeared to be blood on the walls, a light switch by the front door, and on some of his clothing. A crucial piece of evidence was discovered when an officer searched the building's dumpster shortly before it was scheduled to be emptied. A. 40 caliber Smith & Wesson handgun fell out of a white trash bag. Within that same bag, investigators found mail and a prescription bottle bearing Richie Vessel's name, as well as a gun magazine with a live round partially hanging out. This discovery led to his arrest, and he was subsequently charged with two counts of second-degree murder.
