Deer River woman sentenced to 36 years in prison for murder, arson

Madelyn Haasken, The Bemidji Pioneer, Minn.
·2 min read
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Mar. 30—BEMIDJI — Crystal Marie Wilson, 42, of Deer River, has been sentenced to 36 years in prison for intentional murder and arson following

the death of Bradley Reymann in July 2022, in Ball Club.

According to court documents, on July 18, 2022, Itasca County law enforcement was dispatched to a report of a camper on fire with a person inside, in Ball Club.

Upon arrival, law enforcement found a man lying near the camper with severe burns on his hand and wounds on his shoulder. Witnesses at the scene pulled the man to where he was and he was identified as Reymann, 59, of Deer River.

In an interview with law enforcement, Wilson admitted to stabbing him repeatedly with what was later found to be needle-nose pliers, as well as punching and kicking him after going to his camper to get methamphetamine or alcohol.

After either falling asleep or going unconscious on the floor for a period of time, she woke up and used a lighter to set the camper on fire by igniting curtains and a blanket. At one point, Wilson said she thought she was burning a witch.

Witnesses later discovered the fire, pulled Reymann out of the camper and called 911.

On Oct. 31, 2022, Wilson appeared in Itasca County District Court where she

pleaded guilty to second-degree intentional murder and first-degree arson.

On Tuesday, March 28, the parties appeared for sentencing and presented testimony and evidence in support of their positions.

Wilson's attorney asked the court for a sentence of about 120 months in prison while Itasca County Attorney Matti Adam told the court that the nature and extent of Reymann's injuries showed that this was a brutal murder that warranted a sentence of 391 months for second-degree murder and a consecutive 41-month sentence for first-degree arson.

Judge Korey Wahwassuck agreed and ordered the sentence as requested. In accordance with Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines, Wilson will serve two-thirds of the sentence in custody and one-third on supervised release.