Man, 39, charged in fatal attack on father in their Minnetonka home

A 39-year-old man was charged Friday in the beating death of his father in their Minnetonka home.

Jacob J. Schech was charged in Hennepin County District Court with second-degree intentional murder in connection with the attack Wednesday on Frederick J. Schech, 72, at the residence in the 5000 block of Holiday Road.

Schech remains jailed in lieu of $1 million bail and is scheduled to appear in court Monday. Court records do not list an attorney for him.

Frederick Schech suffered broken bones to his skull, face, neck and ribs, and cuts to his head and neck, an autopsy by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office found. The examination also revealed pulmonary bruises and blood in his lungs.

According to the criminal complaint:

A woman at the home called police and said a man was in the home and unresponsive. Officers arrived to see Jacob Schech wearing only gym shorts. He had blood on his right foot and both hands. He "did not appear to be upset or emotional in any way and asked officers for a glass of water," the complaint read.

Officers located Frederick Schech dead in the kitchen. He had injuries to his head, face and neck. Officers seized a bloody knife from the sink.

The woman told police she saw Jacob Schech drinking alcohol the previous night and giving his father a hard time as the older man worked on the pool. The woman was awakened by the family dog. After letting the pet outside, she spotted Frederick Schech's body in the kitchen.

She asked Jacob Schech what happened. "He needed to die," he replied. "And Mom knows he needs to die, and I would have just let Mom handle it."

Jacob Schech's criminal history includes a conviction for domestic assault by strangulation stemming from a February 2019 attack on his then-girlfriend at the home they shared in Plymouth. He was sentenced to the three days in jail he already served and three years' supervised probation.