DNA ties St. Paul man to fatal Green Line shooting in Minneapolis, charges say

Minneapolis police have charged 30-year-old Jaquan Darrian Edwards of St. Paul with second-degree intentional murder in connection with a fatal Green Line shooting on Oct. 3, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Monday. DNA evidence linked Edwards to the scene, including spit recovered at a light rail station and a cigar tip found in Maplewood, the complaint said. Edwards was arrested nearly a month after the shooting that left 36-year-old Joseph Denny Nezperce of South St. Paul dead.

Investigators matched Edwards’ DNA to a major male profile from spit collected at the U.S. Bank Stadium Station, where surveillance footage showed the suspect spitting on the platform before boarding the train. A cigar tip recovered during a “garbage pull” at Edwards’ mother’s home in Maplewood also matched the DNA profile, the complaint stated. Edwards remained jailed in lieu of $1 million bail following his initial court appearance.

DNA Evidence Links Suspect to Scene

Surveillance video captured the shooting, which occurred between the Stadium Village Station and Prospect Park Station in Minneapolis. The footage showed a man boarding the train at the U.S. Bank Stadium Station at 8:48 p.m. and taking the last seat. Joseph Denny Nezperce, 36, boarded nine minutes later at the East Bank Station and sat opposite the man. Between Stadium Village Station and Prospect Park Station, ‘some dialogue was exchanged’ before the man fired three rounds from a handgun, striking Nezperce. The shooter exited at Prospect Park Station.

Officers found Nezperce dead with a gunshot wound to the neck after being dispatched to a report of a shooting. Minneapolis police homicide detectives collaborated with Metro Transit and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to investigate. DNA from the spit and cigar tip connected Edwards to the scene, according to the complaint. Surveillance footage also showed the man “spitting voluminously” onto the concrete platform at the U.S. Bank Stadium Station before boarding, the complaint said.

Investigation Traces Suspect’s Movements

Investigators traced Edwards’ movements using a Metro Transit fare card swiped between Sept. 22 and Oct. 3. Surveillance footage showed the man using the card on a bus in Maplewood on Sept. 22 and later at a Hy-Vee grocery store and Advance Auto Parts store next door. A Hy-Vee security staff member identified Edwards as an employee of the auto parts store, the complaint said. Officers also learned Edwards was driving his mother’s car in July, smoking a wood-tipped cigar, and that a witness suggested he might be staying with his mother in Maplewood.

A “garbage pull” at the home recovered six wood cigar mouthpieces, with the DNA profile matching the spit left at the U.S. Bank Stadium Station. Edwards was charged two days before his arrest, with prosecutors citing the DNA evidence as the basis for the accusation. A message seeking comment on the charge was left for his attorney Monday.

Next Court Appearance Set

The shooting occurred at 9:01 p.m., according to the complaint. The suspect’s movements were tracked using the fare card, which was swiped multiple times between Sept. 22 and Oct. 3, including at a Hy-Vee store in Maplewood.