Thief River Falls man charged with second-degree murder appears in court

Sav Kelly, Grand Forks Herald
·2 min read

Jun. 30—THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minn. — A Thief River Falls man accused of murdering a Digi-Key Electronics employee in May appeared in court on Friday, June 30.

Jorge Luis Benitez-Estremera, 32, appeared in court virtually from the Pennington County Jail. He is charged with second-degree murder and second-degree murder, without intent, while committing a felony. Both charges have a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. He is also charged with third-degree assault.

At 10:12 p.m. on May 9, law enforcement was dispatched to a medical call at Digi-Key Electronics in Thief River Falls. A man had been found unresponsive and later determined to be deceased, according to an affidavit in the case.

He was identified as Steven Opdahl from Oklee, Minnesota.

Law enforcement reviewed Digi-Key's security footage, which showed Benitez-Estremera exiting his vehicle and approaching Opdahl. He allegedly knocked Opdahl's cigarette out of one hand, grabbed a cup out of the other, and threw it on the ground, the affidavit said.

According to the affidavit, the two men appeared to "exchange words," then Benitez-Estremera punched Opdahl in the head, causing him to fall over.

Throughout the attack, Benitez-Estremera allegedly strikes Opdahl in the head, ribs, back and chest — but Opdahl never strikes back, the affidavit said. Opdahl attempts to leave the scene more than once, but isn't able to, the affidavit said.

At one point, Opdahl tried to run, but Benitez-Estremera allegedly chased him and knocked him to the ground with a sign on a post. While Opdahl was motionless on the ground, Benitez-Estremera struck him repeatedly, the affidavit said.

If the case goes to trial, the state plans to pursue an aggravating factor of "particular cruelty" — which could result in a lengthier sentence. The state suggests Benitez-Estremera showed particular cruelty due to the number of times he struck Opdahl, court documents say.

When police found Benitez-Estremera and arrested him, he admitted to the attack, the affidavit said. Benitez-Estremera said he didn't know the man he attacked, but he was "contaminated and needed to be taken out of the system," the affidavit said.

Benitez-Estremera is scheduled for an omnibus hearing on July 17.