St. Paul murder charges: Argument over money between men, 64 and 70, led to fight and stabbing

A 64-year-old man is charged with fatally stabbing another resident of his St. Paul apartment building after they argued over money, according to murder charges filed Monday.

Lester Haynes died Sunday night. He was watching football with friends when Robert L. Ramsey arrived at his apartment. The argument over money “turned physical and the two men tussled,” a witness told police of the homicide at Dale Street Place, 313 N. Dale St., just off Interstate 94.

The criminal complaint against Ramsey gives the following information from the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office:

Surveillance video from the hallway showed Haynes pushed Ramsey out of his apartment and fishing poles fell to the floor. The two men had ahold of each other’s clothing. Haynes had an object in his hand and tried unsuccessfully to hit Ramsey with it. The object fell to the floor after Ramsey “spun and threw” Haynes into a door across the hall from his apartment.

Ramsey held a knife with a long blade and swung at the side of Haynes’ face, making contact. Ramsey pushed Haynes with his left hand and stabbed his right torso as Haynes fell to the floor.

Haynes grabbed onto Ramsey’s legs while sitting on the floor. “Ramsey repeatedly tried to stab (Haynes’) neck and upper torso with the knife, but the knife blade was no longer attached to the handle,” the complaint said. “(Haynes) fell onto his back. When (Haynes) sat up, Ramsey stomped on (his) chest with his left foot knocking (him) backwards.”

Ramsey stepped away from Haynes, and Haynes crawled to his fishing poles and grabbed them. “Ramsey turned and viciously kicked” Haynes’ head and left him lying on the floor, the complaint continued.

Officers were called to the apartment building Sunday about 6:15 p.m. St. Paul Fire Department paramedics transported Haynes to Regions Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:55 p.m.

An autopsy found Haynes died of a stab wound to the chest. He sustained a laceration to his cheek.

Police arrested Ramsey at his apartment on Sunday night. He had a band-aid on his thumb, “but investigators saw no other injuries to his face or neck area,” the complaint said. He did not give a statement to police.