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Jun 8, 2009 6:49 pm US/Central
Man Sentenced For Plot To Kill, Steal Body Parts
STILLWATER, Minn. (WCCO) ―
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Andrew Busskohl was sentenced June 8, 2009 to three months in prison. (File)
CBS
A Woodbury, Minn. man was sentenced to three months in prison after plotting to kill another man and take some of his body parts.
Andrew Busskohl, 19, pleaded guilty to harassment and third-degree damage to property for the incident that happened last August. He will also spend four years on probation, pay a fine and make restitution to the victim, Jim Fratto.
Police said Busskohl, who received a heart transplant in 2003, was accused of plotting to break into a stranger's house, murder him and take out his heart. The act was never carried out.
The criminal complaint says a friend of Busskohl's called police the same day and said Busskohl had come up with a plan to find a man who lived by himself and kill him. He allegedly told his friend he'd wear a swim cap, latex gloves and shoe coverings.
Investigators later searched Busskohl's car and found a backpack containing a swim cap, latex gloves, shoe-coverings, a map to Fratto's house and a small pry bar. They also found tweezers, two pairs of scissors and a scalpel.
Prosecutors originally tried to charge him with attempted murder but a judge dropped the charge. Washington County Attorney Doug Johnson said he was not surprised by judge's decision and his office did not appeal it.
"The law in Minnesota is pretty clear that you have to take substantial step towards committing a crime before it can become an attempt," said Johnson
In court on Monday, Busskohl spoke, saying, "I understand what I've done was very wrong."
After Busskohl was arrested in August 2008, his family posted a $100,000 bail and he was freed. Fratto, who Busskohl was plotting to kill, questioned why Busskohl was released so quickly and was living just a few blocks away from his home.
"He bought all the resources to murder me," Fratto said at the time. "He did the first step -- he came to my house, cased my house, broke the window and intended to come back to murder me."
After sentencing on Monday, the Washington County Attorney said he believes justice was served.
"It is a difficult case because so often we have to look into somebody's mind to decide what they intended to do, were they going to carry it out," said Johnson. "We don't have a perfect system, we follow the law. I believe the community is safe."
Fratto was not present in court but a prosecutor did read a statement from him. WCCO was not able to reach him for comment about the sentence.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Deputy Attacked, Other Inmates Intervene
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