Twin Cities man pleads guilty to fatally stabbing mom’s boyfriend, gets 5 years

Prosecutors have signed on to a sentence just short of five years for a man who fatally stabbed his mother’s boyfriend at the Twin Cities home where they all lived.

Romelle Flowers, 26, of Coon Rapids agreed on Monday in Anoka County District Court to plead guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree manslaughter in connection with the May 1, 2024, attack on Dennard Eugene Percy, 40, of Coon Rapids.

The plea deal between the County Attorney’s Office and Flowers' defense calls for him to be sentenced to a term of 4¾ years. Prosecutors also agreed to substitute the initial second-degree murder count with the lesser manslaughter charge.

With credit for time in jail since his arrest, Flowers is expected to serve less than 2½ years of the agreed-upon term in prison and the balance on supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for June 11.

According to the criminal complaint:

A woman called 911 shortly before 3:30 a.m. and said her son had stabbed her boyfriend. Officers went to the home in the 10300 block of NW. Jay Street and found a shirtless and bloodied Percy suffering from several stab wounds.

One stab wound to Percy’s right thigh hit a large vein and proved fatal, according to the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office.

The woman told police the two men had been arguing all day, and Percy punched Flowers at one point.

She separated them and went to bed only to be awakened by a lot of noise. She left her bedroom, saw Percy bleeding and Flowers running out of the house.

Emergency responders took Percy to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Percy’s online obituary described him as “a gentle person but when he needed to protect someone he didn’t hesitate. ... Home was where his comfort was, and it was the same place that was supposed to be his sanctuary where someone decided to end his life.”