In the early morning hours of September 10, 2018, the life of 38-year-old Brandon Matthew Arndt, a White male, was tragically cut short in Rochester, Minnesota. A knock at the door of his mobile home in Bob's Trailer Park was followed by a fatal gunshot to the face when he answered. His mother, who was also in the home, heard the loud bang and her son falling, and she immediately called for help.
When police arrived at the Marion Road SE residence around 4 a.m., they found Arndt deceased at the scene.
The investigation into Arndt's death revealed a case of mistaken revenge. Arndt had been a helpful neighbor to an elderly disabled woman, Rosetta Barnes, who lived next door. He would assist her with home maintenance, grocery shopping, and her medication. Shortly before the shooting, Barnes had a medical emergency and was hospitalized. Her grandchildren, Malcolm J. Woods, Kielah S. Parsons, and Darien K. Klindworth-Woods, came to believe that Arndt was responsible for their grandmother's condition, suspecting he had given her illicit drugs, an accusation for which police found no evidence.
Fueled by this false belief, the three grandchildren planned their retribution. Surveillance footage captured Woods, Parsons, and Klindworth-Woods leaving the hospital where their grandmother was being treated just an hour before the murder. They stopped at a convenience store where Parsons acquired extra plastic bags. The trio then drove to Arndt's home. In an attempt to conceal evidence, Woods covered his hands and feet with the plastic bags before approaching the residence. When Arndt opened the door, Woods shot him at close range.
Authorities swiftly identified the three grandchildren as suspects. Malcolm J. Woods, then 27, Kielah S. Parsons, 34, and Darien K. Klindworth-Woods, 19, were all arrested and faced charges in connection with Arndt's murder. Woods was charged with murder, while Parsons and Klindworth-Woods were also charged for their roles in the crime. Ultimately, Malcolm Woods was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Kielah Parsons entered an Alford plea to a charge of aiding an offender after the fact and was sentenced to 46 months in prison. Darien Klindworth-Woods also pleaded guilty to aiding an offender after the fact.
