Eric Jordahl/Sherburne County Jail)
ELK RIVER, Minn. (WJON/KFGO) — A man accused of killing his mother in a 2020 attack in their Big Lake home has been found guilty of 1st-degree premeditated murder.
A Sherburne County District court judge has also found 26-year-old Eric Jordahl guilty on two counts of 2nd-degree murder in the killing of Rosalie Johnson.
Jordahl has undergone several mental competency examinations since the killing. In May 2024, a judge determined Jordahl was competent to face the charges. Jordahl’s defense attorney then gave notice of a mental illness defense in August 2024. As a result, the judge ruled Jordahl’s trial must be completed in two distinct stages called a bifurcated trial. First, Jordahl’s not guilty defense had to be heard. After waiving a right to a jury trial, Jordahl agreed to have his case heard by the court based solely on the stipulated evidence.
The judge found Jordahl guilty after considering arguments from both sides. Now, a defense of mental illness or cognitive impairment will be considered in a one-day court trial on Monday.
In the judge’s findings of fact, Jordahl beat his mother, stabbed her several times, then began to cut up and cannibalize Johnson while she was still alive.
A medical examiner determined Johnson had extensive blunt force trauma to her head, trunk, and hands. She died as a result of multiple sharp and blunt force injuries to her head, neck, and torso.
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