60-year-old Minnesota man accused of beating girlfriend to death in their home
03/08/2022 2:49 pm PST
MOTLEY, Minn. (TCD) -- A 60-year-old man has been charged with murder after the body of his 66-year-old girlfriend was found in their home over the weekend.
According to a press release from the Morrison County Sheriff’s Office, on Sunday, March 6, deputies received a call from someone who said his friend killed his girlfriend. Authorities reportedly responded to 689 Highway 10 S., where they found a deceased female, later identified as Christine Nygard.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office said her cause of death was blunt head and chest trauma, and her death has been ruled a homicide.
According to a complaint obtained by WCCO-TV, Nygard’s boyfriend, Harold Wassather, admitted to assaulting Nygard at the home they shared. Leading up to the assault, Nygard reportedly confronted Wassather about talking to other women. However, Wassather allegedly told authorities he assaulted her two or three days before her body was discovered, adding that she lost consciousness. Wassather then reportedly placed Nygard in bed and covered her up.
Wassather was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, the Sheriff’s Office says. The investigation remains ongoing.
In a statement, Morrison County Sheriff Shawn Larsen said, "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victim’s family for this senseless act of violence and to the First Responders that investigated and processed the scene. The victim tragically lost her life to domestic violence, which could have been prevented."
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