Prosecutors say three apartment employees were killed after a dispute over a $65 monthly parking garage contract.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A 30-year-old tenant has been charged with three counts of second-degree murder after prosecutors said he fatally shot three employees inside a St. Paul apartment leasing office following a dispute over a parking garage contract.
Tsegaab Ademassu Binessu was charged Tuesday in Ramsey County District Court in the deaths of Nansi G. Fuentes Zambrano, 25, of Inver Grove Heights; Dena M. Silcox, 56, of St. Paul; and Adam J. Wilwerding, 43, of Oakdale. Authorities said all three worked for Mid Continent Management Corp. and were found dead Monday afternoon at the Davern Park Apartments.
The charges describe a series of events that began with Binessu seeking to cancel a recently renewed parking agreement that cost $65 a month. Apartment employees told investigators that he called the office and was informed that he remained responsible for the contract. Prosecutors allege he said he would come to the office to discuss the matter in person and arrived shortly afterward.
St. Paul police responded at about 4:10 p.m. after several 911 callers reported hearing gunfire and screams near the complex along St. Paul Avenue in the city’s Highland Park neighborhood. Officers entered the leasing office and found the three employees with gunshot wounds. They were pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators recovered 21 spent 9-millimeter cartridge casings from the office, according to the criminal complaint.
Prosecutors said surveillance video from inside the office showed Binessu speaking with Silcox and Wilwerding before he pulled a handgun from his clothing. The complaint alleges that he shot Wilwerding and Silcox several times before moving into a hallway outside the camera’s view. Investigators said screams and additional gunshots could be heard on the recording. Fuentes Zambrano was found in a room toward the rear of the office.
The allegations in the complaint have not been proven in court. Binessu is presumed innocent unless convicted, and available court records did not initially list an attorney who could comment on his behalf. Each count of second-degree murder with intent carries a potential sentence of up to 40 years under Minnesota law, though any sentence would be determined through the court process if he is convicted.
Police said a man who had shared an apartment with Binessu since 2018 contacted authorities and reported receiving a call from him after the shooting. The roommate told investigators that Binessu said he had argued with apartment management and killed three people, according to the complaint. The roommate also said Binessu had recently sold his vehicle and had planned to discuss ending the garage contract because he no longer needed the parking space.
Authorities said Fuentes Zambrano’s vehicle was missing after the shooting. Binessu was arrested later Monday in Virginia, Minnesota, roughly 200 miles north of St. Paul, while driving the vehicle, the charges allege. Investigators said he had newly purchased camping equipment, a U.S. passport, a Social Security card, an empty handgun magazine and a permit to carry a firearm when he was taken into custody.
The complaint says Binessu spoke to investigators about personal frustrations, including a prolonged effort to bring his wife and children from Ethiopia to the United States. He reportedly said the process contributed to his divorce and separation from his children and that stress led him to leave his job as a truck driver. He also alleged that he had faced unfair treatment because he is Black and an immigrant. Those statements are part of the prosecution’s account and do not by themselves establish a motive for the killings.
Binessu acknowledged going to the leasing office to discuss the parking agreement but did not describe what occurred there, according to the complaint. Authorities said he asked for an attorney when investigators questioned him about the shootings. Police searched his apartment and found a loaded 9-millimeter magazine but did not find the firearm believed to have been used, local news organizations reported.
Mid Continent Management Corp. identified Wilwerding as a multisite manager, Silcox as an assistant manager and Fuentes Zambrano as a leasing agent. Company President Angie French said in a statement that the organization was heartbroken over the loss of three caring and dedicated employees. Silcox had worked in the office for nearly a decade, while neighbors described the employees as friendly and willing to help residents.
About 100 people gathered outside the apartment complex Tuesday evening for a vigil honoring the victims. Mourners placed candles and flowers near the building and sang hymns as relatives, residents and colleagues remembered the three workers. Silcox’s father said she loved her children, music and her work. Residents told local reporters that the deaths had shaken a neighborhood they generally considered quiet.
Binessu remained jailed in lieu of $10 million bail ahead of his initial court proceedings. Prosecutors had not announced additional charges, and investigators had not said whether the firearm had been recovered. The criminal case remained pending Wednesday in Ramsey County District Court.
Author note: Last updated July 22, 2026.