A Hennepin County jury has found James Nyonteh, a Champlin man, guilty of murdering his wife, Peachu Yates, in March of last year. Nyonteh, 47, now faces a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of release. The jury convicted him on all counts, including two counts of first-degree murder, one count of second-degree murder, and one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct for a separate act.
Yates had recently left Nyonteh, taking their three daughters with her, as he was under investigation for the sexual assault of a child. She had filed an order for protection against Nyonteh and was living with family members in Champlin at the time of the stabbing.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty described the case as a “horrific case of intimate partner and sexual violence” in a written statement. She added that Nyonteh posed a serious threat to public safety, but now the public would be safe from him.
According to the charges, a child had reported two weeks before the murder that Nyonteh had raped her on numerous occasions. A few hours before the killing on March 28, 2022, Champlin police were called when Nyonteh contacted one of Yates’ daughters, violating the protection order. Nyonteh arrived at the residence with a knife and expressed a desire to talk to Yates. The call between Yates and a witness was abruptly disconnected, prompting others in the home to check on her. They discovered Yates lying in the yard, bleeding and unresponsive.
A witness heard a scream and observed an SUV, which belonged to Yates, fleeing the scene and running a red light. Several hours later, police in neighboring Brooklyn Park found the vehicle with a bloody knife and hatchet inside. A tip led authorities to an apartment complex in Fargo, where Nyonteh was arrested the following day.
Nyonteh is scheduled to be sentenced on January 3, 2023.
