Authorities on Friday identified the man who was fatally beaten and stabbed allegedly by a friend in a south Minneapolis apartment where firefighters showed up thinking there was a blaze to extinguish.
Duane K. Brown, 67, was found dead Sunday morning in an apartment in the 1700 block of S. 3rd Avenue, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office said.
Charles Brown, of Minneapolis, who is not related, was charged earlier this week in District Court with intentional and unintentional second-degree murder. He was jailed Sunday afternoon and remains held in lieu of $750,000 bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
Firefighters arrived at the apartment on a call and saw food burning on the stove. They also saw Charles Brown asleep in a bedroom and a man's body on the living room floor.
Police came to the residence and saw dried blood on Charles Brown and a small cut on his right pinky finger.
The living room where the body was located showed signs of a struggle. A stool was bent in such a way that "indicated it was used to strike [the man] with significant force," the charges read.
Charles Brown told investigators that the two of them had been friends for years. He said they met up at noon last Saturday and decided to go to the apartment to drink. He said they drank heavily.
