Maplewood man suspected in wife's fatal shooting arrested in Illinois

An ex-convict suspected in the shooting death of his wife in their Maplewood townhouse was arrested Thursday at a home in the Chicago area.

Todd Larry Tennin was booked into the Lake County, Ill., jail, and will face extradition for a warrant from the Minnesota Department of Corrections for violating the terms of his supervised release from prison, where he served time on a weapons-related conviction.

Due to the warrant issues, authorities will have more time to finalize the shooting case and forward it to prosecutors for any possible charges against Tennin, said Maplewood Police Chief Paul Schnell.

Tennin, 31, had been at large since Aug. 23, when his wife, April Tennin, 41, was found dead. At home during the shooting were two of her children, ages 16 and 12, and a 15-year-old friend. The couple was said to have been arguing before the shooting occurred.

Todd Tennin left the home shortly after the shooting in a car later found at the Brooklyn Park home of an acquaintance.

He was thought to have left there in a rental car that was stopped the next day in Minneapolis. Tennin was not inside.

On Wednesday, Maplewood police investigators got a tip that Tennin was hiding at a home in Waukegan, Ill., a city of about 90,000 north of Chicago.

The U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force in Minnesota notified the fugitive task force in northern Illinois, which watched the home until Tennin was arrested without incident.

Investigators also were looking into information they believe will identify the people responsible for helping Tennin leave Minnesota.

April Tennin worked for Ramsey County Community Human Services helping teen mothers in need of cash and child care assistance.

Tennin had four children.

Staff writers Anthony Lonetree and Nicole Norfleet contributed to this story.

Kevin Duchschere • 651-925-5035