Grandson held in slayings
Joshua John DeRosier, who reported Christmas Eve deaths of Ted and Angeline Bieganek, was arrested late this morning
A 19-year-old grandson was arrested today in the murders of 68-year-old Theodore "Ted" Bieganek and his 64-year-old wife, Angeline "Angie" Bieganek.
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The Bieganeks' grandson, Joshua John DeRosier, is being held by the Crow Wing County Sheriff's Department on charges of second-degree murder, Sheriff Dick Ross said about 10:30 a.m. today. DeRosier was arrested late this morning at the Law Enforcement Center in Brainerd.
No further details on the arrest were given. Investigators were interviewing DeRosier at 11 a.m. today.
"I'm very excited, very pleased that an arrest has been made in this case," Ross said.
Theodore "Ted" Bieganek
Ross said forensics tests are time consuming "but the outcome pays dividends."
A gun has been recovered. Tests are being performed to determine if it is the murder weapon.
County Attorney Don Ryan is out of town on vacation. Ryan has a policy that no assistant county attorneys may speak to the press.
The case started on the morning of Christmas Eve when DeRosier called 911 and said he found his grandparents shot to death in their bed. Both were shot in the head. DeRosier said he was at the house to do his laundry.
Angeline "Angie" Bieganek
Investigators earlier said .22-caliber shell casings were found at the Barbeau Road scene a few miles north of Brainerd near Highway 371.
DeRosier's arrest is not his first.
According to court documents, DeRosier was arrested in 2000 on a felony vehicle theft charge after stealing his brother's pick-up from their mother's residence.
In the pre-disposition investigation of the vehicle theft, probation agent Jim Miller wrote:
"While meeting with Joshua, it is obvious that there are serious relationship issues between Joshua and his parents. Joshua is refusing to live with his father and his mother is unwilling to have Joshua return to live with her. Additionally, there is conflict between Joshua's parents and his maternal grandmother (Angie Bieganek), which places Joshua in the middle. At this time this agent does not feel that it is in Joshua's best interests to reside with either parent."
Adjudication against DeRosier was stayed and he was put on six months probation.
At the time of the murders, DeRosier was not believed to have been living with any family members.
DeRosier found the couple in their Barbeau Road home and called 911 at 11:02 a.m. Dec. 24. When Crow Wing County deputies arrived at the scene, they found the Bieganeks' front door off its hinges and glass in the door was broken. The Bieganeks' bedroom was about 50 to 60 feet from the front door.
The Bieganeks apparently were asleep when they were shot. Officials said the couple was dressed in sleeping clothes and under the covers. The coroner's office reported the couple had been dead for eight or nine hours before deputies arrived.
On Dec. 26, Ross said there were no suspects in the killings. Investigators were following several leads, interviewing family members, neighbors and friends. No one reported seeing any suspicious vehicles or people in the neighborhood.
Though only a couple of months old, hundreds of hours went into the investigation of the murders.
Two weeks to the day before the arrest, Ross was unwilling to comment on whether he expected a conviction in the shooting deaths investigation. But he did say, "We have suspects." At the time, Ross stressed the plural nature of the word.
The county received many tips, especially in the hours and days after the murders were discovered. As time progressed, tips lessened.
Crow Wing County has five investigators. Since the double homicide on Barbeau Road, Ross said one or two investigators have worked on the case every day.