The injuries incurred by Charlene Wunderlich, a Hugo woman who was beaten to death on Monday, suggest that she was beaten “over the course of several hours, if not over several days,” a Washington County prosecutor said Thursday.

“There was significant violence alleged in this,” assistant Washington County Attorney Wade Kish said during her son Trevor Joseph Wunderlich’s first appearance in Washington County District Court.

Trevor Joseph Wunderlich. (Courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office)

Wunderlich, 45, of Hugo, was charged Thursday with second-degree murder. Washington County District Court Judge Juanita Freeman bail set at $2 million with conditions.

When Freeman asked Wunderlich if he was aware of his rights, he said he was not.

“No. No, I’m not. This is like a complete nightmare for me,” Wunderlich said. “I did not intend for any of this to happen.”

Wunderlich, appearing by video from the Washington County Jail, was wearing a green jail-issued sleeveless suit designed to prevent him from harming himself.

According to the criminal complaint, deputies from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office responded around 5:55 p.m. Monday to an open 911 line originating from 15939 Ingersoll Ave. Dispatchers could hear noises on the line consistent with an ongoing assault or struggle, the complaint states.

When deputies arrived, they entered the kitchen area of the home and observed Charlene Wunderlich “lying on the floor in obvious distress,” the complaint states. “Seated on a chair directly next to her was her son.”

Deputies attempted to detain Trevor Wunderlich but he ran into the basement of the home and fled out a rear door.

Deputies began to provide care to Charlene Wunderlich, who had “contusions, lacerations and other injuries on her face and head, her arms and legs, and throughout her torso,” the complaint states. “She was conscious for a short period of time and was able to tell officers that it was (her son) who had assaulted her.

Charlene Wunderlich lost consciousness and was transported to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, where she was pronounced dead at 7:37 p.m. Monday, authorities said.

The cause of death was later determined to be multiple blunt force injuries, including multiple rib fractures, a sternal fracture, chest-wall hemorrhage and pulmonary contusions.

An overnight manhunt for Trevor Wunderlich ended when law-enforcement officers received a tip from a neighbor that she had found a man, believed to be Trevor Wunderlich, in a camper on her property.

Trevor Wunderlich fled the scene, but law-enforcement officers found him nearby and took him into custody, the complaint states.

On Thursday, Wunderlich said he would need to be represented by a public defender because he did not have access to any of his money.

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“I have money to hire a private attorney, but I don’t have access to any of my money. That’s the problem,” he said. “I don’t have a way to call them. They haven’t even let me call him yet since I’ve been incarcerated. And you know, Washington County has kind of had it out for me for a long time. We’re just trying to move to the North Shore. … ”

Kristin Johnson, the court-appointed attorney then interrupted Wunderlich, and said: “I would again suggest that you don’t have to say anything. Additionally, I would suggest that you just reserve your bail argument today.”

Charlene Wunderlich and her late husband, William M. “Skip” Wunderlich, ran a dog-kennel business, Bill Wunderlich’s North Oaks Kennels, out of the 35-acre property; the business had previously belonged to Skip Wunderlich’s father. Skip Wunderlich died in 2020.

Trevor Wunderlich said Thursday that he also worked at the business, but that he made “zero dollars now” because the business is “obsolete now.”

“How much money do you have in the bank, sir?” Freeman asked.

“Zero,” he responded.

“All right. And do you own or rent a home?” she asked.

“Oh, yeah. We own,” he said. “Well, I don’t own them. I guess my mom did, so I don’t know who owns them now.”

Wunderlich said he did not own any other homes either and worked full-time at the dog-kennel business. He said his mother had been collecting Social Security for the past “six or seven years.”

“No, I don’t make any money,” he said. “The (business) drained it all from me. We were trying to sell it before we went up north, so I’m drained.”

When Kish told Freeman that the presumptive sentence on the second-degree murder charge is 346 to 480 months, Wunderlich looked visibly surprised.

Minnesota court records show Wunderlich’s criminal history goes back for years. He has open cases, in which he’s charged with domestic assault against his fiancée and violating a domestic assault no contact order, both in April 2023.

Charlene Wunderlich wrote in a Nov. 4, 2020, petition for an order for protection against her son that he screamed and spit at her at least three times a week unless she hid or left, and that he threw things at her. He called her “terrible names,” and “breaks everything in the house,” she wrote.

She checked a box saying she believed she was in immediate danger “because it’s happening for three years now and it’s just escalating,” she wrote. She requested that her son be ordered to attend a domestic abuse program, an alcohol/chemical dependency evaluation and mental health evaluation.

Trevor Wunderlich was convicted of three separate instances of violating a domestic abuse no-contact order in 2021, in two incidents of assaulting three correctional officers at the Washington County jail in 2021, of third-degree assault in 2013, of possession of a firearm by an ineligible person in 2003 and terroristic threats in 2002.

Wunderlich will next appear in court at 8:30 a.m. Oct. 24 in front of Washington County District Court Judge Siv Mjanger.

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB and BASSEM MROUE

BEIRUT (AP) — The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah said Thursday the mass bombing attack against it using its communications devices was a “severe blow” and said Israel had crossed a “red line.” But he said the group would continue its daily strikes into northern Israel, vowing Israelis would not be able to return to their homes there until the Gaza war ends.

As Hassan Nasrallah spoke in a televised speech from an unknown location, Hezbollah and the Israeli military traded new strikes over the border and at least two Israeli soldiers were killed. Israeli warplanes also flew low over Beirut and broke the sound barrier, scattering birds and prompting people in houses and offices to quickly open windows to prevent them from shattering.

Fears are rising that 11 months of exchanges of fire between the two sides will escalate into all-out war, particularly after this week’s unprecedented bombings widely blamed on Israel in which hundreds of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah were remotely detonated in Beirut, parts of Lebanon and the Syrian capital Damascus.

Mourners carry the coffins of victims who were killed Tuesday after their handheld pagers exploded, during their funeral procession in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

At least 37 people were killed and some 3,000 wounded in the explosions, which appeared to be the culmination of a monthslong operation by Israel to target as many Hezbollah members as possible all at once, but which also hit civilians.

The attack came as Israeli leaders have warned that they could launch a stepped-up military operation against Hezbollah, saying they are determined to stop the group’s fire to allow tens of thousands of Israelis to return to homes near the border.

Nasrallah said the group is investigating how the bombings were carried out.

“Yes, we were subjected to a huge and severe blow,” he said. “The enemy crossed all boundaries and red lines.”

Pointing to the number of pagers and walkie-talkies, he accused Israel of intending to kill thousands of people at one time. “The enemy will face a severe and fair punishment from where they expect and don’t expect.”

He said Hezbollah will continue its barrages into northern Israel as long as the war in Gaza continues, vowing that Israel will not be able to bring its people back to the border region. “The only way is stop the aggression on the people of Gaza and the West Bank,” he said. “either strikes, nor assassinations nor an all-out war will achieve that.”

Lebanese soldiers stand guard as their comrades prepare to detonate a walkie-talkie that was found at the parking of the American University Hospital, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

While he spoke, Hezbollah announced at least four strikes into northern Israel, while Israeli strikes were reported in southern Lebanon. Earlier Thursday, Hezbollah said it had targeted three Israeli military positions near the border, two of them with drones. Israeli hospitals reported eight people lightly or moderately injured. Overnight, the military said it struck several militant sites in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah says its near daily fire is a show of support for Hamas. Israel’s 11-month-old war with Hamas in Gaza began after it led the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.

Israel has responded to Hezbollah’s fire with strikes in southern Lebanon, and has struck senior figures from the group in the capital Beirut. The exchanges have killed hundreds in Lebanon and dozens in Israel and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents on each side of the border.

Israel and Hezbollah have repeatedly pulled back from an all-out war under heavy pressure from the United States, France and other countries.

But in their recent warnings, Israeli leaders have said they are determined to change the status quo dramatically.

This video grab shows a walkie-talkie that was exploded inside a house, in Baalbek, east Lebanon, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo)

Speaking to Israeli troops on Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said, “We are at the start of a new phase in the war — it requires courage, determination and perseverance.” He made no mention of the exploding devices but praised the work of Israel’s army and security agencies, saying “the results are very impressive.”

Gallant said that after months of fighting Hamas in Gaza, “the center of gravity is shifting to the north by diverting resources and forces.”

Israel began moving more troops to its border with Lebanon on Wednesday as a precautionary measure, Israeli officials said. Israel’s army chief, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, said plans have been drawn up for additional action against Hezbollah, though media reported the government has not yet decided whether to launch a major offensive in Lebanon.

Lebanon is still reeling from the deadly device attacks of Tuesday and Wednesday.

The explosions have rattled anxious Lebanese fearing a full-scale war. The Lebanese Army said it has been locating and detonating suspicious pagers and communication devices, while the country’s civil aviation authorities banned pagers and walkie-talkies on all airplanes departing from Beirut’s international airport until further notice.

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Hezbollah is hit by a wave of exploding pagers that killed at least 9 people and injured thousands

The attack was likely to severely disrupt Hezbollah’s internal communication as it scrambles to determine safe means to talk to each other. Hezbollah announced the death of five combatants Thursday, but didn’t specify if they were killed in the explosions or on the front lines.

The blasts went off wherever the holders of the pagers or walkie-talkies happened to be in multiple parts of Beirut and eastern and southern Lebanon — in homes and cars, grocery stores and cafes and on the street, even at a funeral for some killed in the bombings, often with family and other bystanders nearby.

Many suffered gaping wounds on their legs, abdomens and faces or were maimed in the hand. Tuesday’s pager blasts killed 12 people, including two children, and wounded some 2,300 others. The following day’s explosion killed 25 and wounded more than 600, Health Minister Firas Abiad said, giving updated figures.

Abiad told reporters that Wednesday’s injuries were more severe than the previous day as walkie-talkies that exploded were bigger than the pagers. He praised Lebanon’s hospitals, saying they had managed to deal with the flood of wounded within hours. “It was an indiscriminate attack. It was a war crime,” he said.

Oscar the cat has one of the best views in St. Paul.

The cat, who belongs to Ellen and Peter Brown, was one of the first residents of Kenton House at 695 Grand Ave., the posh building on the site of the former Dixie’s on Grand. The five-story development combines retail and restaurant space (such as longtime tenant Saji-Ya) and rental apartments on the upper floors, including the penthouse that the Browns now call home.

The public will be able to tour the Brown family’s penthouse unit during the Summit Hill House Tour on Sunday — along with more than a dozen homes, places and spaces in and around the Summit Hill and Ramsey Hill neighborhoods.

Based on last year’s numbers — more than 2,000 people attended the tour — high attendance is anticipated.

“It was a record-breaking turnout,” says Marcy Wengler of Edina Realty, who works in and around the neighborhoods and is the tour’s presenting sponsor.

Extras this year

In the past, the Summit Hill Association and the Ramsey Hill Association have taken turns producing the popular home tours of their historic neighborhoods. This year, though, they are partnering to host a tour together.

As usual, the tour serves as the major fundraiser for the organizations and their work for the neighborhoods they serve. This year, general admission tickets are $45 (a $5 increase from 2023).

With more volunteers on hand for the 2024 tour, there are some fun extras this year:

For an extra cost, the public can attend a dinner on Saturday at a Summit Avenue mansion that is not otherwise on the tour; enjoy Sunday brunches at a couple of tour stops or mingle at a post-tour reception at the University Club.

The tour

The tour includes 12 private residences — four of them on Summit Avenue.

“It’s a really beautiful assortment,” says Tricia Huntley, a board member of the Summit Hill Association and co-chair of the house tour committee. “The variety is really nice in terms of size, features and even decor.”

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The variety ranges from 19th century turrets to 21st century terraces; there’s a bed and breakfast, too; plus, home features including stained glass, front porches and expansive grounds tucked away in the city.

Together, Huntley says, the properties illustrate how St. Paul and its homeowners have worked through time to preserve the history and craftsmanship found in one of our country’s best preserved streets and throughout these two neighborhoods.

“These homes are all pretty spectacular,” says Huntley, an interior designer. “It’s an amazing gesture on the part of these homeowners to open up their homes to the public; it’s really a gift to our community.”

The public spaces on the tour include the Lexington, the restaurant on Grand and Lexington avenues, and Cochran Park at 375 Summit Ave., which features an award-winning renovation of its pool and sculpture.

New construction

The dining and living room of Ellen and Peter Brown’s apartment overlooking Grand Avenue in St. Paul. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

This year’s tour also features new construction: Kenton House at 695 Grand Ave., otherwise known as Oscar’s home.

The Browns and their cat moved into the penthouse, a rental, after downsizing from their single-family house on Fairmount Avenue. So far, so good, especially on their private terrace, which Peter Brown accessorized with the cedar planters he made for the space.

“Oscar loves the terrace,” says Ellen Brown. “It’s like having a backyard, but without having to mow the lawn.”

Besides their roomy apartment, which overlooks the treetops of Grand Avenue, the couple also enjoys the community spaces (with firepits) as well as seeing neighbors who span the generations and include plenty of dogs. They also look forward to the coffee shop opening on the ground floor.

It’s not easy, of course, to open your home to the public, but the Browns have done it before with their house on Fairmount and, before that, a condo on Summit Avenue.

“The main reason we are doing it again is to support the Summit Hill Association, it’s a really important asset to the neighborhood,” says Ellen Brown. “The second reason is to show off the building; we’re proud renters here and it’s nice to give people a chance to see what the building is like.”

Summit Hill House Tour

A tour of private homes, public buildings and other historic spaces throughout St. Paul’s historic Summit and Ramsey Hill neighborhoods.

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When: Noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22

General tickets: $45 ($15 for ages 5-17)

Extra packages (purchase by Friday):

• $200 to dine at an “exquisitely preserved home” on Saturday, featuring insights by Larry Millett, local history author and former Pioneer Press architectural critic, and Karen Melvin, author of “Great Houses of Summit Avenue and the Hill District.”

• $165-$135 for VIP tickets that include brunch at Summit Manor or the Kenton House and Saji-ya space, with early access to the tour and other perks.

• $45 to attend a post-tour reception at the University Club.

Proceeds: The tour is the annual fundraiser for the Summit Hill Association and Ramsey Hill Association, with proceeds used to deliver programming and more.

Tickets and info: Summithilltours.org