St. Paul teen certified as adult in killing of South St. Paul teen during marijuana deal

Nick Ferraro, Pioneer Press
Updated ·3 min read

The alleged shooter in the killing of a teen outside his South St. Paul home during a marijuana deal last year has been certified to stand trial as an adult, the Dakota County attorney’s office said Thursday.

The adult certification hearing for Casimir Anthony Semlak, 18, of St. Paul, was completed Nov. 28 under Dakota County District Judge Chris Lehmann. He made his decision Tuesday.

Semlak was just over three months shy of 18 at the time of the May 8 shooting that killed 17-year-old Anthony John Skelley, who was found with gunshot wounds to his head, torso and shoulder. Four days after the killing, Semlak was charged by juvenile petition with three counts of murder. Prosecutors sought to certify him as an adult.

Semlak now faces the same charges in adult court: one count each of second-degree murder-with intent, not premeditated; second-degree murder-drive-by shooting; and second-degree murder-without intent, while committing a felony.

He had his first appearance in adult court Thursday before Judge Leslie Metzen. Bail was set at $1 million or $750,000 with conditions, and Semlak remained jailed Thursday.

A defense attorney is not listed in Semlak’s adult court file. He’s applied for a public defender, according to court documents. A call for comment to the attorney who represented him in juvenile court was not immediately returned.

According to Skelley’s family, he was a junior at Gateway to College, a St. Paul Public Schools program at St. Paul College that allows high school students to earn college credits. Before that, he went to Two Rivers High School — formerly Henry Sibley — in Mendota Heights.

Neighbors reported gunshots

South St. Paul police officers responded to a shots fired-report in the 1900 block of Conver Avenue around 10:42 p.m. and found Skelley lying in the street unresponsive, not breathing and without a pulse. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officers found a BB gun in Skelley’s hand, according to the charges, and shell casings from a 9mm gun near him. A cellphone and a small bag of marijuana were found nearby in the street.

Neighbors reported hearing gunshots and seeing a small white or silver four-door car with a damaged right taillight leaving the area at a high rate of speed. Several Ring camera videos showed portions of the incident and the car in front of Skelley’s home.

During a search of his bedroom, investigators found marijuana in several bags and jars, according to the charges.

A male who had been inside Skelley’s home at the time of the shooting told officers he heard him on the phone saying that he would go outside. He was shot a short time later.

A search of Skelley’s cellphone showed the last number called was to Semlak, charges say.

The phone also revealed a string of texts between the two teens about the sale of marijuana. In one text, Skelley gave Semlak his home address. The last text Skelley received from Semlak read “here,” the charges read.

Investigators identified Semlak as the marijuana buyer through Cash App, which was on Skelley’s phone. When Semlak was located and arrested at a St. Paul park a day after the killing, he was in possession of a Springfield 9mm Hellcat handgun with an inserted magazine containing several bullets. The bullets in the magazine were the same brand as the shell casings found at the scene of the shooting, the charges say. Semlak’s DNA was found on the gun’s handgrip.

Semlak also had with him the cellphone that exchanged messages with Skelley.

He declined to provide a statement to investigators.

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