Prosecutors say the St. Paul killings followed a dispute over canceling a $65 monthly parking garage contract.
ST. PAUL, MN — A tenant accused of fatally shooting three apartment workers during a dispute over a parking garage contract has been charged with three counts of second-degree murder and ordered held on $10 million bail.
Tsegaab Ademassu Binessu, 30, is accused of killing Nansi Fuentes Zambrano, 25, Adam Wilwerding, 43, and Dena Silcox, 56, inside the leasing office at Davern Park Apartments on July 20. Authorities said all three victims worked for the apartment complex. The charges are allegations, and Binessu has not been convicted.
According to the criminal complaint, the dispute began after Binessu recently sold his vehicle and tried to cancel a garage parking contract that cost $65 a month. Apartment employees told investigators that the contract had recently been renewed and could not be canceled. Binessu then said he would come to the office to discuss the matter in person, the complaint said.
Police were called to the leasing office shortly after 4 p.m. after several people reported hearing gunfire and screams. Officers found the three workers with fatal gunshot wounds. Charging documents said surveillance video recorded portions of the attack, while other parts could be heard but were not visible on camera.
Investigators said Binessu later told his roommate that he had argued with apartment management and killed three people. The roommate contacted police and gave investigators Binessu’s cellphone number, according to court records. Authorities used information from the phone to track his movement north from the Twin Cities.
Police also learned that Fuentes Zambrano’s gray 2017 Chrysler 300 was missing. Deputies arrested Binessu at about 9:10 p.m. near Eveleth, roughly 200 miles north of St. Paul, while he was driving the vehicle, authorities said. Officers reported finding what appeared to be recently purchased camping supplies, an empty handgun magazine, his passport, his Social Security card and a state permit to carry a firearm.
After his arrest, Binessu admitted going to the leasing office but did not describe what happened there, according to the complaint. He requested an attorney when investigators continued questioning him about the shootings. Statements attributed to him in the complaint also described stress related to his family, work and immigration experiences, but authorities have not established those issues as a legal explanation for the killings.
Family members, residents and former tenants remembered the victims as caring employees who helped people in the apartment community. A memorial displaying their photographs was placed outside the leasing office after the shooting.
Binessu made his first court appearance July 22 and was granted a public defender. He remained jailed in lieu of $10 million bail, with his next court hearing scheduled for Aug. 13. No plea had been reported.
Author note: Last updated July 25, 2026.