UPDATE: Pohjonen deaths ruled a murder-suicide
A spokesperson for the Ramsey County sheriff's office has said Kalen Pohjonen, 21, shot his 19-year-old wife, Katherine, and then turned the handgun on himself.
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The Ramsey County medical examiner's office says Katherine (Quam) Pohjonen, 19, and her husband, Kalen Pohjonen, 21, both died of gunshot wounds.
A handgun was found in their Vadnais Heights, Minn., townhouse, according to a medical examiner’s report released Wednesday.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Ramsey County sheriff’s office has told the St. Paul Pioneer Press that Kalen Pohjonen shot Katherine and then took his own life.
Public Information Officer Randy Gustafson said a motive for the killings hadn’t been established.
The Pioneer Press said investigators went to the Pohjonens’ townhouse at 859 Woodgate Drive at about 10 a.m. Tuesday after a co-worker of Katherine’s reported that she hadn’t shown up for work.
A neighbor of the Pohjonens, Ryan Bynum, told the newspaper that Kalen had knocked on his door at about 3 a.m. Saturday. Bynum said his wife heard the knock but they didn’t answer the door.
Bynum also said he had planned to go out for his birthday Friday night with Kalen Pohjonen, but stayed home because he was tired.
Kalen Pohjonen was a member of an East St. Paul-based Minnesota National Guard unit scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan in May. He had served in the National Guard since August 2007.
Kalen was a member of Hudson High School’s class of 2007, but didn’t graduate with the class.
Katherine, the daughter of Lawrence and Susan Quam of North Hudson, graduated from Hudson High in 2009. She would have turned 20 years old today (Thursday, Jan. 27).
She listed her parents, high school art teacher Jason Lund, and Kim and Andy Anderson as important adults in her life.
Kim Anderson is the mother of Kalen Pohjonen. She now lives in Buffalo, N.Y.
Kalen’s father resides in Superior.
Kalen Pohjonen had his driver’s license suspended for eight months and was ordered to undergo an assessment for chemical dependency after being convicted of drunken driving in St. Croix County in October 2007.
A second charge of causing injury while driving intoxicated was dismissed.
He also was found guilty of underage drinking in September 2006.
O'Connell Family Funeral Home of Hudson is handling the funeral arrangements for both of hte Pohjonens.
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