Man with three-state criminal history charged with fatally stabbing St. Paul woman in her apartment

A man with a violent criminal history in three states is charged with fatally stabbing a woman in her St. Paul apartment over the weekend.

Maurice A.M. Smith, 38, of St. Paul, was charged Monday in Ramsey County District Court with second-degree murder and first-degree murder in connection with the killing of Tina M. McCombs, 48, of St. Paul. Her body was found about 2:30 p.m. Sunday in an apartment in the 100 block of W. Larpenteur Avenue.

Smith remains jailed in lieu of $1 million bail before a court appearance Tuesday. Court records do not list an attorney for him.

The stabbing marked St. Paul's first homicide of the year.

Smith has convictions in Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota for armed robbery, check forgery, domestic assault, illegal stun gun possession and violation of a no-contact order.

According to the criminal complaint:

Police entered the apartment and saw McCombs on the bedroom floor with stab wounds to the chest. Emergency responders soon pronounced her dead.

McCombs' boyfriend said he was dozing on the couch, when a man later identified as Smith kicked the apartment door open, prompting her to yell at Smith in response. Smith stabbed McCombs and fled.

About 4 p.m. that same day, officers were dispatched to the 100 block of Mount Airy Street about a man down on a rear stoop. The man was a cold and shivering Smith.

After being treated at Regions Hospital for exposure to the cold, Smith said he met McCombs about a month ago. Police determined they were Facebook friends.

Smith said he kicked in apartment doors looking for McCombs and admitted to stabbing her.

"I don't care what happened to her," he told police.