Murder by Moose Antler: So Minnesotan

I'm not sure what to write.  A Grand Marais (pronounced mah-RAY) Minnesota man was beaten with a shovel and finished off with a moose antler after the perpetrator thought the victim was stalking children with the intent of sexually offending them.  Granted, the victim did serve time back in 1979 for being a pedophile.  However, the perpetrator did enter into the victim's home and never caught the victim actively abusing kids.  I'm not defending pedophiles.  I'm going to wager that it will be discovered that the victim had a possession of child pornography.  

 

Grand Marais is way up north past Duluth on Lake Superior in the Arrowhead Region of Minnesota.  Winters are long, perhaps too long.   Cabin fever is real and insanity ensues after being cooped up for months on end.  

 

(side rant):  Grand Marais is near Chippewa City.   I'm surprised they have not changed the name as it's deemed offensive and racist.  But is it?  Having a city named after a tribe could be an viewed as an honor.  Point is somebody is going to be offended no matter what.  

Cook County resident Levi Axtell charged with murder of Grand Marais man

Joe Friedrichs | March 10, 2023

Cook County resident Levi Axtell was charged with murder today following the death of a Grand Marais man earlier this week.

Axtell, 27, is currently being held in the Cook County Jail in Grand Marais, local sources confirmed with WTIP. He is being held on probable cause of murder in the second degree. The jail roster report from Cook County officials says the murder was not premeditated.

The arraignment that took place today is connected to the March 8 death of Lawrence Scully, a Grand Marais man with a checkered past who ran for mayor in 2014. Scully was found dead Wednesday afternoon following a violent altercation at his home.

Axtell told local authorities he beat Scully with a shovel and “finished him off” with a large moose antler. He explained to local authorities he hit Scully 15-20 times with the shovel before using the moose antler as a weapon. Axtell was covered in blood when he turned himself in at the local law enforcement center.

Axtell and Scully have a history of legal wrangling, including issues related to the safety of children, according to numerous media reports that have surfaced since the altercation that took place late Wednesday afternoon. Court filings shared with WTIP from Cook County officials show that Axtell sought a protective order against Scully on behalf of his then 22-month-old daughter in April 2018.

Axtell told Cook County authorities that he’d known Scully for a long time, and believed him to have sexually offended against children in the past. Axtell said he had observed Scully parked in his vehicle at locations where children were present and believed he would reoffend.

Scully was a notorious personality in Grand Marais. He ran for mayor in 2014, though during the campaign many called into question his past behavior as a convicted sexual predator.

It was Axtell who notified local law enforcement Wednesday afternoon following the violent incident that took place at Scully’s home at 109 East 5th St. in Grand Marais. Upon arrival, deputies located Scully suffering from multiple areas of trauma to the head. He died from the injuries, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.

Axtell was arraigned via Zoom on the day he was charged, and bail was set in the amount of $1 million. Pending his next appearance in the courtroom on April 10, Axtell will be held in the custody of the Cook County Sheriff.