A 33-year-old St. Paul man is facing two counts of second-degree murder after authorities say he fatally shot the mother of his five children inside her apartment, then fled the state with the children before crossing into Canada alone.
According to charging documents filed in Ramsey County District Court, Wesley B. Koboi, 33, is accused of intentionally killing 29-year-old Shaniya Destinae Thompson inside her apartment in St. Paul. Police believe Thompson was shot in the head on Thursday, December 11, though her body was not discovered until Friday afternoon.
Investigators say Koboi arrived at the apartment under the guise of celebrating one of the children’s birthdays, bringing gifts into the home. Multiple children were inside the apartment at the time. According to family members and statements included in the criminal complaint, Koboi instructed the children to go into their bedrooms before the shooting occurred. Moments later, they heard a scream and a loud thud.
St. Paul police were alerted around 4:15 p.m. Friday after a relative in Louisiana received a phone call from one of the children, who said her father had shot her mother. Officers later spoke with two of the children by phone, one of whom told police her father had a gun and said the shooting was an accident after an argument. Officers entered the apartment and found Thompson deceased in the master bathroom with a gunshot wound to her head. A handgun and cellphone were recovered near her body.
After the shooting, investigators say Koboi gathered the children and drove them more than 600 miles to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where his mother lives. His mother told police Koboi and the children arrived between 8:30 and 9 a.m. Friday, claiming they were there to celebrate Christmas. He stayed for roughly an hour before leaving the children behind and departing alone in another vehicle.
That Michigan stop would become a key turning point in the case.
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Federal law enforcement partners later confirmed that Koboi traveled east across the state and crossed into Canada on foot at the Sarnia Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron, Michigan, just before midnight Friday. Authorities say he had booked a flight from Canada to Mexico, signaling an attempt to flee internationally.
Koboi’s flight plans were cut short.
On Tuesday, December 16, he was taken into custody by police at Toronto Pearson Airport, according to St. Paul police. He is currently being held pending extradition back to Minnesota, where he faces charges of second-degree intentional murder and second-degree unintentional murder.
Family members described Thompson as a devoted mother whose children witnessed unimaginable violence. In an online fundraising campaign, her sister, who lives in Inkster, wrote that the children now face significant trauma and will require counseling and long-term support.
Court records also reveal a troubling history between the couple. A neighbor told investigators that Koboi had previously brandished a gun during an argument with Thompson at their apartment complex on July 4, raising additional concerns about escalating domestic violence prior to the fatal shooting.
The case remains under investigation by St. Paul Police, with Michigan and Canadian authorities playing critical roles in tracking the suspect’s movements across state and international borders.
Koboi is expected to be returned to Minnesota to face prosecution.
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