On a cold November evening in 1986, Morna Jean Brennen, a 22-year-old Caucasian woman, went out with a friend to a popular bar called M.T. Pockets in her hometown of Maplewood, Minnesota. The two enjoyed their night, dancing and socializing. Around 12:30 a.m. on November 7th, they decided to leave. When her friend briefly went back inside the bar, Morna waited outside. However, when the friend returned just a few minutes later, Morna was gone. Her friend initially thought she had found another ride home, but concern grew when Morna's family had not heard from her by the next day, and she was reported missing.
The investigation began when a jogger discovered Morna's purse near a wooded trail later that same day. This prompted an extensive police search of the area. During the search, investigators found several garbage bags containing bloody bedding and other suspicious items, but they couldn't immediately connect them to the missing woman. The grim reality of the situation became clear two weeks later when Morna's dismembered remains were found in sacks scattered throughout the woods. An autopsy would later reveal that her throat had been slashed.
Investigators quickly focused their attention on three men who had shown interest in Morna and her friend at the bar that night. One of these men was Ricky "Karate Guy" Kiger, who was identified as a person of interest due to his violent criminal history against women. The investigation revealed that Kiger was enraged by Morna's rejection of his advances. It is believed that he persuaded her to warm up in his truck after she was left alone outside the bar. Once she was inside, he slammed her head against the dashboard, drove her to his home, and assaulted her before ultimately slitting her throat.
The gruesome details that emerged painted a horrific picture of Morna's final hours and the days that followed. After murdering her, Kiger allegedly let her bleed out in his bathtub and then kept her body in the trunk of his car for two days. He then moved her remains to his workplace, the Drake Marble Company, where he hid her body under a pile of marble for over a week before dismembering her with a hacksaw and disposing of her remains. Evidence found in Kiger's apartment, along with his past history of violence, led to his arrest in December for first-degree murder. Rickie Kiger eventually pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder and dismemberment of Morna Jean Brennen.
