'Threatened to kill my children': Man murders estranged partner and her 5-year-old son after she said she was going to take him to trial, cops say

A antheral successful Minnesota is accused of sidesplitting his estranged spouse and her young son hours aft the pistillate told the fishy she was going to instrumentality him to trial.

Irving Van Marsaw, 53, stands charged with 2 counts of second-degree murder successful the deaths of 44-year-old Jennifer Sue Marsaw and 5-year-old Marzai Andrew Dawson. The suspect is being held nether $5 cardinal bail.

Irving Marsaw had "assaulted" and "threatened to kill" Jennifer Marsaw successful the past, including arsenic precocious arsenic March 3, the woman's girl said, according to a transgression ailment reviewed by Law&Crime. Additional tribunal records papers an alleged signifier of abusive behavior.

Jennifer Marsaw petitioned for a restraining bid against her estranged spouse successful November 2025, telling the court, "He threatens to wounded maine if I don't archer him wherever I live," determination ABC affiliate KSTP reported. "He makes demands and threatens to get each my nutrient enactment and disablement chopped off," the petition added.

In February, Jennifer Marsaw reportedly asked the tribunal for different restraining order, penning that the suspect "has threatened to termination my children and myself" and has followed her and travel into her location without permission.

While some restraining orders were issued, records reviewed by KSTP amusement she asked for some to beryllium withdrawn astir a period aft each was granted.

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On March 17, Jennifer Marsaw "kicked Defendant retired of the location aft an statement involving Defendant holding a knife," the transgression ailment states. The woman's girl said the past speech she heard betwixt the 2 was, astatine astir 7 p.m., her parent "saying that Defendant amended judge she was going to trial, to which Defendant responded, 'Bet,' and hung up."

Hours later, aft midnight, the girl "went connected a abbreviated locomotion outside" with 2 of her siblings. When they returned to their location connected the 9300 artifact of Ryan Place successful Lexington, Minnesota, astir 5 minutes later, she heard respective "pops."

The daughter's younger member "ran into the location arsenic Defendant walked retired of the beforehand doorway holding a handgun," the ailment goes on. "Defendant made oculus interaction with her member and paused arsenic her member ran into the location earlier Defendant ran to a shed connected the property."

Within a fewer seconds, the younger member "came moving retired screaming that their parent and small member were shot," authorities stated. The girl past assembled her siblings and "ran to a neighbor's house" to telephone 911.

Officers with the Centennial Lakes Police Department arrived astatine the location astatine astir 12:50 a.m. aft the girl had called and said her parent and member "were changeable wrong their home" by a antheral named "Irving." Officers noted that based connected "prior contacts," and with the statement given, they identified their fishy arsenic Irving Marsaw.

Police recovered Jennifer Marsaw "with evident gunshot wounds to the chest." Marzai, the 5-year-old boy, "was inactive breathing with evident gunshot wounds to the thorax and near arm." He was brought to an country infirmary wherever helium was pronounced dead.

"Officers instantly established a perimeter and located Defendant hiding successful a wooded country a fewer blocks westbound with the usage of a K9 unit," the ailment states. Irving Marsaw was taken into custody astatine 1:33 a.m. Several hours later, authorities recovered a 9 mm handgun crossed the thoroughfare down the residence.

Police said that portion successful custody, Irving Marsaw "made respective statements referencing the incidental insinuating it was committed 'in the vigor of passion.'"

The Midwest Medical Examiner's Office conducted an autopsy connected some shooting victims and recovered that Jennifer Marsaw's origin of decease was a gunshot coiled to the thorax "fired astatine interaction range." Marzai's origin of decease was determined to beryllium "a gunshot coiled to the back, fired astatine interaction range." The 2 "spent bullets" arsenic good arsenic an unspent circular were recovered adjacent the bodies.

Irving Marsaw was scheduled to look successful tribunal for the archetypal clip connected Friday, and helium is acceptable to instrumentality connected April 14.