In the quiet, early morning hours of August 23, 2015, a tragedy unfolded in a home in Maplewood, a suburb of Saint Paul, Minnesota, forever altering the lives of a family. April Erickson Tennin, a 41-year-old White/Caucasian woman, was found deceased in her residence. The devastating discovery was made by her 16-year-old daughter, who immediately called 911 around 6 a.m.
Responders arrived to a scene that would soon become a homicide investigation.
The Ramsey County Medical Examiner's office later confirmed that April's life was taken by a single gunshot wound to the head. Investigators quickly identified a primary suspect: April's husband, 31-year-old Todd Larry Tennin. According to reports, the couple had been engaged in an argument shortly before the fatal shooting occurred. In the immediate aftermath, Tennin fled the scene, sparking a manhunt by law enforcement.
Todd Tennin had a significant and troubling criminal history, which included convictions for second-degree assault, illegal possession of a firearm, and malicious punishment of a child. His flight from justice led authorities to find his abandoned vehicle in Brooklyn Park. A second vehicle he was believed to have used was later discovered in Minneapolis. The search for Tennin concluded in early September 2015 when he was apprehended in the Chicago area. Following his arrest, he was charged with second-degree murder in connection with his wife's death. April, an employee in the financial services division of Ramsey County and a mother to at least three children, had been married to Tennin since January 2014.
