Charges: 42-year-old man killed and set on fire in Minneapolis in 2020

Criminal charges filed in Hennepin County earlier this month detail how a 42-year-old St. Paul man allegedly killed someone and set their body on fire in 2020.

Richard Handsome Carter Jr. faces one count of second-degree murder and two counts of first-degree arson.

According to the criminal complaint, firefighters responded to a fire in the 1800 block of Central Avenue NE on Feb. 28, 2020. They determined the fire was coming from the basement.

As they went downstairs, they saw blood splattered on the walls. In the basement, they found the victim face down and on fire. Court documents say there were pieces of plywood and other materials on the victim's body to fuel the fire.

An autopsy later determined the victim was killed by blunt force injuries to the head and neck before being set on fire.

Investigators learned that the victim was a tenant in the building and had sublet a basement room from Carter to use as a recording studio.

During an interview with police, Carter said the victim cheated him out of $2,800 in rent he paid to the victim, but the victim never gave it to the landlord, according to court documents. He claimed to have never set foot in the studio.

Carter denied killing the victim. When asked if he knew how the victim died, he said the victim's brother called and said he died in a fire and coincidentally the victim's father was already died in a fire. However, the victim had no brothers and his father was still alive.

Cell phone data is consistent with Carter being at the scene at the time of the murder, not at his home or with one of his girlfriends, as he had claimed, according to court documents.