Zumbro Falls man ordered held on $250,000 conditional bail for alleged patricide

Emily Cutts, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·2 min read

Mar. 9—WABASHA — A Zumbro Falls man is charged with second-degree murder after Wabasha County Sheriff's deputies reportedly found the man's father dead in the trunk of a vehicle.

James Edward Riley, 44, made his first appearance in Wabasha County District Court on Monday on a single charge of second-degree murder. Judge Carmaine Sturino set conditional bail at $250,000 and unconditional bail at $500,000.

Riley's next court appearance is scheduled for March 23.

Law enforcement was called to the rural Zumbro Falls farm on Friday, March 5, for a report of a death. As deputies were driving down the farm's long driveway, another vehicle was driving out of the residence.

The deputy did not turn around to stop the vehicle as he did not know the condition of the victim and opted instead to return to the property, according to court records. The deputy spoke with a Riley's mother who reported that she found her husband, 73-year-old Edward Riley, dead in the trunk of his vehicle, which had been parked in a "strange location," the criminal complaint states.

The elder Riley's body had been covered with a tarp inside the vehicle's trunk. A pail of dirt and a hoe was also in the trunk.

Law enforcement found a pair of James Riley's shoes with "what appeared to be blood on them" as well as spots of blood closer to the house and a shovel with blood on it leaning against a tree.

Riley returned to the residence about 2 1/2 hours after the initial call for service. When interviewed by detectives, he reportedly said "someone had been sneaking around the property at night" and that a white truck had been "racing up and down the road." Riley also told officers that two people, a man and woman, were at the residence earlier in the day to buy a piece of equipment, but left while Riley took a shower.

"Finally, the defendant stated his father was 'mean' to everyone and was getting 'meaner,'" the complaint reads. "Then he stated he left the property because he was scared. He had a bad feeling, so he left. He had a feeling he was being set up."

Riley allegedly admitted to killing his father by hitting him on the head "a couple of times" and then stabbing the man after he fell to the ground.

Riley's mother told detectives that her son had said in the past that he was so angry he could kill his father.

A woman, who is not named in the complaint, was interviewed a day after the incident and told law enforcement that Riley told her he had broken into his parents' safe and cleaned it out days before the incident. The woman also said Riley told her he had met people in Arizona who knew how to get rid of a body.