A jury in Cottonwood County District Court has found 58-year-old Ralph Leslie Apmann of Windom guilty of second-degree murder in connection with the Aug. 26, 2021 death of Juan Luis Morales-Rivera.
Jurors received the case Tuesday shortly before 11:30 a.m. and delivered a verdict shortly before 2:30 p.m. The defense rested without calling any witnesses.
Apmann did not show up at the courthouse for testimony on Monday and is believed to have fled to the Twin Cities area. A bench warrant was issued for his arrest. Defense attorney Philip Elbert told the court he had planned to have Apmann testify Monday.
Apmann will be sentenced after he has been apprehended and returned to Cottonwood County.
Much more on the conviction and the trial will appear on the website later this afternoon and in the Feb. 15 print and e-editions of the Citizen.
