On a summer day in Minnetonka, Minnesota, the life of Barbara Lund, a 55-year-old White/Caucasian female, came to a tragic and violent end. On August 5, 1992, she and her companion, E. Kevin Kelly, a 49-year-old former Iowa legislator, were found shot to death. The grim discovery was made at the home of Barbara's estranged husband, Russell Lund Jr., the 59-year-old son of the founder of the prominent Lunds grocery store chain.
The background to this tragedy was a long and bitter divorce between Barbara and Russell. On that fateful day, Barbara had gone to Russell's home to discuss a potential financial settlement to conclude their acrimonious separation. It was during this meeting that both she and Kelly were fatally shot. The motive for the killings was widely believed to be connected to the ongoing and financially charged divorce proceedings.
The primary suspect in the double homicide was Russell Lund Jr. himself. In the aftermath of the shootings, he surrendered to the authorities and was subsequently charged with two counts of first-degree murder. A judge set his bail at $10 million, a record amount for Minnesota at the time. Despite the gravity of the charges, Russell was able to secure a $12 million bail and was placed under 24-hour guard at a Minneapolis medical center.
However, the legal process came to an abrupt and unexpected halt. On November 1, 1992, Russell Lund Jr. was found dead in his hospital room. Authorities reported that he had a plastic bag secured over his head, leading them to conclude that he had died by suicide. His death closed the criminal case, leaving the families of Barbara Lund and Kevin Kelly with unanswered questions and an end to the pursuit of justice in a courtroom.
