A Minnesota woman was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to the murder of her ex-partner, whom she stabbed in the chest during an argument in August 2024. According to investigators, the accused returned to the crime scene while police were conducting investigations and later told officers that she would commit the murder again.
Clay County Judge Tammy L. Merkins handed down the sentence Tuesday against Connie Jo Frank, who last month pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder without intent during the commission of a felony, according to court records.
As part of the plea deal, a charge of second-degree murder with intent was dropped.
The victim died after receiving a stab wound to the chest
The crime occurred shortly after midnight on August 4, 2024 at a home located in Moorhead, Minnesota.
When officers responded to a 911 call they found Willard DeGroat, 47, with a stab wound to the upper chest. A kitchen knife that was allegedly used during the attack was recovered at the scene.
The victim was taken to a hospital, where he died shortly after due to the severity of the injury.
According to the investigation, Frank and DeGroat had been in an on-and-off relationship for approximately five years.
A man who also lived in the home stated that the two began arguing and that the confrontation became physical. Going up to the second floor to ask Frank's adult son for help, he returned to find DeGroat injured, while the defendant had already left the house.
Authorities said Frank initially hid in the yard of a neighboring home, but then decided to return to the scene while officers were still processing the crime scene.
During the transport to jail, he made several spontaneous statements, including that he had stabbed DeGroat and that he would “kill him again,” according to the probable cause statement.
She also later admitted to detectives that she took a knife from the kitchen and stabbed him “once deeply in the chest.” According to the investigation, she stated that she was “tired” of him and that “someone had to put an end to it.”
Additionally, surveillance camera footage captured Frank screaming moments before DeGroat was heard calling for help and saying he was dying.
The victim's family spoke during the hearing
Before the sentence was handed down, DeGroat's family members offered statements about the impact the crime has had on their lives.
According to The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, one of his sisters expressed that she hoped Frank would remember the victim's last moments every time he closed his eyes. Another stated that she has not been able to forgive her and expressed concern about the statements of the accused, who assured that she would commit the homicide again.
During the hearing, Frank apologized to the victim's family.
"I am very sorry for what happened to the family. I miss it too and rest assured that I am paying for it. I am living my own hell," he said, according to reports from the hearing.
Her defense attorney maintained that the defendant was deeply remorseful and claimed that she had suffered abuse during her relationship with DeGroat.
However, the prosecution objected to those claims, recalling that by accepting the plea deal, Frank expressly waived any claim of self-defense.
He must serve at least two thirds of the sentence
The court credited Frank with 724 days already served in pretrial detention and ordered him to pay $8,940 in restitution.
Under Minnesota law, he must serve two-thirds of his sentence in prison before being eligible for supervised release.
In addition, she was permanently disqualified from possessing firearms or ammunition and must provide a DNA sample as established by law.
