Ethiopian woman charged with murder in stabbing death of husband

Amreya Rahmeto Shefa

A Richfield woman has been charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of her husband.

Police found the victim, Habibi Gessese Tesema, 48, inside his home on the 7300 block of 12th Avenue in Richfield after responding to the scene shortly before 5 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 1. According to a criminal complaint, Amreya Rahmeto Shefa, 40, stabbed her husband multiple times, striking his heart heart once.

Tesema was found in a bathroom, and officers tried to resuscitate the victim before he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Shefa told police she stabbed her husband because he said he wanted to bring another woman into their bedroom “and wished to use a sexual device on her during intercourse,” the charging document states. An individual present at the home when officers arrived said the victim and the defendant had been arguing for seven months.

Shefa, who was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center for a cut on her hand, told nursing staff that her husband stabbed her because he had been drinking and using khat, a plant native to Africa that is chewed and acts as a stimulant. However, she told police she got cut during a struggle with the victim for the knife.

Teseme’s children, a 2-year-old boy and 3-year-old girl, were also present when officers arrived.

Shefa is being held in Hennepin County Jail on $1 million bail.
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