Two men dead in apparent murder-suicide at Mahtomedi FedEx facility

A dispute over a woman ended with two men dead early Monday when one shot the other and then took his own life at a FedEx facility in Mahtomedi, according to a relative and the Washington County Sheriff's Office.

The men, identified as David Peterson, 49, of Blaine, and Todd "Jimmy" Wilemon, 58, of Mississippi, were found outside of the Long Lake Road facility by sheriff's deputies called to the location about 2:26 a.m. Wilemon was dead, and Peterson was gravely wounded. He was taken to the hospital where he later died.

Wilemon, a longtime truck driver, had recently begun working for Ravenwood Transport, a private contractor for FedEx where Peterson was company president, according to Peterson's LinkedIn profile. Wilemon was unhooking his trailer at the FedEx facility when Peterson approached and shot him in the head, according to Wilemon's wife, Deborah. Peterson then shot himself, she said, reporting what authorities told her family.

According to Anoka County District Court records, Tina Peterson filed for divorce from David on Jan. 26.

Deborah Wilemon said her husband left Mississippi last summer to be with Peterson's wife, Tina, who co-owned Ravenwood. Todd Wilemon moved to Minnesota in October. A few months later, he talked of reconciling with Deborah.

"He actually came home and said he was moving home," she said.

Todd Wilemon brought his belongings back to Mississippi and said he would work on his marriage, Deborah Wilemon said, but then recently seemed to change his mind, and told Deborah he was moving back to Minnesota. He never mentioned David threatening him, she said, but he sent Deborah two e-mails saying he was scared and hopeless. He said that he and Tina had had a misunderstanding.

Todd Wilemon was a truck driver for 35 years, spending most of that time working for ABF Freight in Tupelo, Miss. He accumulated over 2.75 million accident-free miles, according to the American Trucking Association, where he served on the America's Road Team Roster.

Wilemon earned the Silver Safety Driving Award for driving 30,000 consecutive hours without a preventable accident, as well as ABF's 25 year Safety Performance Award and several flatbed competitions at the Mississippi Truck Driving Championships. He was also a Sunday school teacher and an Eagle Scout.

In April, Tina Peterson was among a group of long-haul drivers honored at a White House ceremony, according to a local news report.

Deborah Wilemon said authorities told her family that Tina was in Peterson's truck at the time of the shooting, but may have been asleep.

A preliminary report said the men suffered gunshot wounds, and a firearm was located. There's no threat to public safety, the Sheriff's Office said.

"We are shocked and saddened by this tragic incident and extend our deepest condolences to the families and team members of those involved," a FedEx spokeswoman said in a statement.

Deborah said her husband was a member of Mount Pleasant Church in Fulton, Miss., where he taught Sunday school and served on the cemetery committee.

"Everything happened so fast and so quick there wasn't anything anybody would have expected," she said.

Matt McKinney • 612-673-7329