Superior man accused of dismemberment appears in court
Oct. 11—SUPERIOR — A Superior man who was
sentenced last month in Cook County, Minnesota for the murder of a St. Paul man
was bound over for arraignment in Douglas County Circuit Court Wednesday, Oct. 11 on additional charges connected to actions allegedly taken following the shooting death.
Jacob Colt Johnson, 37, faces felony counts of being party to mutilating a corpse and possession of a firearm by a felon, both as a repeater.
A Duluth jury on Aug. 2 found Johnson guilty of second-degree murder for the June 20, 2021 shooting death of Ricky Balsimo Jr., which took place in the Twin Cities. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison by Cook County Judge Michael Cuzzo.
Johnson is accused of
dismembering Balsimo's body at a camper in the town of Bennett in June 2021
with the help of Robert Thomas West, 43, of South Range, according to the criminal complaint. The pair allegedly cut up the body with a circular saw and put the pieces into several buckets and a tote that were then filled with cement. The containers were later driven to Grand Portage, Minnesota and dumped into Lake Superior from a boat.
West has also been charged in Douglas County Circuit Court in connection with the incident. He faces felony charges of party to mutilating a corpse, harboring or aiding a felon and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Minnesota cases stemming from the incident have concluded for both men.
West was found guilty in February of aiding an offender as an accomplice to second-degree murder and interference with a dead body. Cuzzo sentenced West to 15 years in prison after the South Range man entered into a post-conviction agreement with the prosecution and testified at Johnson's trial in exchange for having his sentence capped.
The Douglas County firearms charge against Johnson stems from a July 14, 2021 search warrant that was executed at a storage unit he was renting in Superior's Itasca neighborhood, according to the criminal complaint. A handgun was found in the unit. Wisconsin Crime Lab testing found DNA evidence on the gun that linked it to Johnson, according to the complaint.
The mutilating a corpse charge carries a maximum penalty of 12 and a half years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000. The firearms charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $25,000.
Johnson's next court appearance in Douglas County was set for Nov. 17. West is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 20.
