An Anoka man received the maximum 40-year sentence Thursday in Hennepin County District Court for pleading guilty to killing his ex-girlfriend last July inside her Brooklyn Center home.
Anoka man sentenced to 40 years for killing ex-girlfriend in her Brooklyn Center home
He was also sentenced for shooting and killing another ex-girlfriend's dog days before the murder.
January 12, 2023 at 9:05PM
Michael Isaac Klinger, 37, fatally shot Katie Anne Fredrickson, a 34-year-old mother, on July 31. He was arrested a few hours later with multiple stolen guns, nearly a pound of meth and more than $5,000 in cash. Hennepin County Judge Jay Quam gave him the maximum penalty under law after Klinger pleaded guilty in late December to second-degree murder.
The sentencing was announced in a full courtroom after 11 emotional victim impact statements Thursday morning, including brother Joshua Fredrickson of Crystal.
"One of the unfortunate consequences of having a huge heart is that sometimes one can struggle with healthy boundaries when it comes to toxic people and this situation is no exception," he said in his written statement to the judge.
Joshua Fredrickson said that years ago his family opened the door to Klinger, invited him to holidays and he even allowed him to move in.
"It is hard to imagine, but it is the truth, my family attempted to love on Michael," he wrote, adding that they believed in second chances.
But instead, he said Klinger created a "dark and ominous chasm in the hearts of my family, my community and myself."
"It is here that pain, agonizing pain, suffering, confusion, hatred, rage and insatiable thirst for justice exists," he wrote.
Klinger was also sentenced Thursday after he pleaded guilty to an illegal weapons charge for shooting and killing another ex-girlfriend's dog just days before Fredrickson's murder.
He shot the dog while the woman was walking along 34th Street near Nicollet Avenue in south Minneapolis, according to the charges.
His five-year sentence for the illegal weapons charge runs concurrent to his sentence for murder. He's expected to serve 26 years in prison and the balance on supervised release. He has about 160 days of credit.
Klinger made a statement before his sentencing that Joshua Fredrickson said left a "bad taste in my mouth." He said Klinger spent more time talking about the dog and placed blame on addiction, but Fredrickson, a clinical social worker and licensed drug and alcohol counselor, said it's no excuse for murder.
He said there is no closure, but he's proud of his 17-year-old nephew, his sister's only son, who is "an exceptional young man" with good grades and the captain of his basketball team.
Klinger's attorney, Emmett Donnelly, did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Klinger was previously convicted of three illegal weapons possession charges and a first-degree drug crime. Joshua Fredrickson asked whether his sister would still be alive today if the system had not been so easy on Klinger.
"I struggle to understand why a violent criminal with multiple gun related charges would continue to be given chance after chance after chance."
Staff writer Paul Walsh contributed to this report.
The governor said it may be 2027 or 2028 by the time the market catches up to demand.
