A Minnesota man is facing multiple murder charges after allegedly killing his girlfriend and trying to avoid arrest by climbing into a tree, authorities said.
Craig Hameister, 44, was taken into custody and charged in the fatal shooting of 36-year-old Melissa Hunt, according to the Wabasha County Sheriff’s Office. The arrest came after Hunt, suffering from severe facial injuries, drove into a homeowner’s driveway in Kellogg, Minnesota — a small town near the Wisconsin border — and identified Hameister as her attacker before being rushed to the hospital, where she later died.
In a criminal complaint obtained by Law&Crime, Hunt told responding officers that Hameister had hit her with a stick at a nearby boat launch. She also described his vehicle — a white pickup truck — and provided police with his address. Although initial reports suggested blunt force trauma, an autopsy later revealed gunshot residue in her facial wounds, indicating she had been shot.
At the boat launch, investigators found an unspent 9 mm round, supporting the theory that a firearm had been used.
As police searched for Hameister, his truck was located outside a home in Chatfield, about 40 miles south of Kellogg. Inside the vehicle, officers found another 9 mm round. The homeowners told police that Hameister had arrived appearing “very frantic” and confessed that “something bad happened,” warning them that law enforcement would soon be looking for him.
Another person at the home told investigators that her 9 mm handgun went missing shortly after Hameister left on a motorcycle.
Multiple agencies, including the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office, joined the search. Hameister was eventually discovered in a wooded area, hiding high up in a tree. Authorities say he engaged in an hours-long standoff before surrendering. A 9 mm handgun was recovered near the base of the tree.
Hameister has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder — one with intent, one without — and one count of manslaughter. He is currently being held in the Wabasha County Jail on a $2 million bond.
