A Glencoe man is charged with murder for his alleged role behind the wheel in a chase and drive-by shooting that killed a 21-year-old.
Murder charge: Enraged man chased down adversary in St. Paul as passenger fired fatal shots
Bobby Leroy Woody, 43, has been charged with with two counts of second-degree murder.
April 30, 2020 at 9:11PM
Bobby Leroy Woody, 43, was charged in Ramsey County District Court on Thursday with two counts of second-degree murder in connection with last Saturday's drive-by shooting that killed 21-year-old Anthony Boelter, of St. Paul. He remains jailed in lieu of $1 million bail.
Woody's accomplice, thought to be the shooter, has not yet been arrested.
According to the criminal complaint:
Officers responded to the intersection of E. Minnehaha Avenue and Cypress Street just before 10 p.m. and found Boelter slumped over the driver's seat of his yellow Volkswagen Beetle. The rear window had been shot out and bullets were lodged in his headrest and back fender. Boelter died at the scene.
An autopsy determined that Boelter died from a gunshot wound to the head.
Two uninjured passengers inside Boelter's car told police that he'd "been in a long-standing feud with the occupants of the nearby residence where his ex-girlfriend lived" and Boelter made a point to drive by that home on a regular basis.
When they drove past that night, a dark SUV began tailing them from behind. Boelter veered down an alley to try and lose them, his friends said, but someone in the SUV plugged off several rounds as they turned on Cypress Street.
Investigators later recovered five spent .45 caliber casings from the area.
Authorities learned that Woody had spent the evening drinking at Boelter's ex-girlfriend's house and was sitting in his SUV when Boelter passed by. Woody, who was seen at the property with a large handgun in his pocket, got upset. Surveillance video showed another man running to hop in the passenger seat before Woody sped to chase Boelter down.
A witness saw muzzle flashes pop from the back passenger side of the SUV as it pulled alongside the VW Beetle. The suspects fled after seeing the witness.
On Tuesday, police searching Woody's home found a Springfield .45 caliber handgun, charges say. He was arrested, but declined an interview with detectives. Woody has previous convictions for domestic assault, interfering with a police officer and intent to sell marijuana.
St. Paul police confirmed that only one arrest has been made so far in the case. The investigation remains ongoing.
Liz Sawyer • 612-673-4648
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