Trial starts for suspect accused of killing and dismembering man whose body was recovered in Lake Superior

DULUTH — Meagan Bieroth testified that she heard a bang so loud it made her ears ring when Jacob Johnson, who was riding in the passenger seat of his own Audi SUV, shot his childhood friend Ricky Balsimo Jr. in the backseat.

Bieroth said she pulled over on a Twin Cities' street, jumped out of the car and she and another passenger ran. Bieroth didn't say a word to anyone about what happened in those early, dark hours of June 20, 2021, until weeks later when she was back home in Louisiana and Johnson called with news that he had been arrested.

Johnson is charged with two felony counts of second-degree murder in a trial that started Monday in St. Louis County Court. Balsimo's body was recovered from Grand Portage Bay nearly a month after he was killed, dismembered and the body was mixed with concrete and dumped in Lake Superior.

Balsimo's family, including his parents and some siblings, were in the courtroom as they have been during the other defendants' trials. Tommi Hintz pleaded guilty; Robert West was found guilty of interfering with a dead body and being an accessory after the fact.

Johnson claims self-defense. As they drove around that night, Balsimo threatened both Bieroth's and Johnson's lives, Bieroth testified. The two had dated for 12 years and share a teenage daughter.

Bieroth told the jury that Balsimo was waving the knife and said he was going to kill the only thing Johnson ever loved — which she took as a threat on her life.

In June 2021, Bieroth and her daughter visited Minnesota for a trip that included their daughter's birthday party in Duluth. The night before the party, Bieroth, Johnson and Balsimo drove from Duluth to the Twin Cities.

The men were bickering in the car — which was normal for the longtime friends who often fought and made up. She testified that she believed both men were on drugs.

Balsimo, she said, waved a knife; Johnson gave no warning before shooting.

Balsimo's family soon knew that something was wrong, his sister Raquel Turner testified. In addition to their own search, they hired a private investigator and ended up finding who killed Balsimo and the location of his body.

It was unusual for Balsimo, 34, to not check in — especially on Father's Day. He is part of a big, tight-knit family from St. Paul. Kim Balsimo, his mother, was among the last to talk to him on the phone.

"He told my mom he was coming home and to leave the door open," Turner testified.