St. Paul case may be like Sorensens: Rochester police follow leads, caution against drawing conclusions

Published 12:00 am Thursday, June 21, 2007

By Sarah Light, staff writer

Rochester Police said Wednesday they are sharing information with St. Paul authorities to see if there is a connection between the Rochester murder of 27-year-old April Sorensen and the man arrested for the June 15 attempted murder, rape and arson in St. Paul.

Rochester Police Department Capt. Brian Winters said there are some potential similarities between the two cases. He said any similarities between the Sorensen case and other cases are explored by the department.

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&8220;But I would be very cautionary in calling him the best lead we have in the case or speculating at all about the two cases,&8221; Winters said.

Twenty-six-year-old Gari Stewart, 26 of Robbinsdale, is charged with entering a St. Paul apartment early last Friday morning and stabbing a man seven times.

He is also charged with raping the man&8217;s girlfriend twice, starting the apartment on fire and then forcing the woman to leave with him to a gas station to withdraw money from an ATM machine.

He was arrested later that day after using the woman&8217;s credit card.

Sorensen, an Albert Lea High School graduate whose maiden name is Larson, was found dead upstairs in her home at 4809 22nd Ave. N.W. in Rochester on the afternoon of April 17, after a man arriving there to perform routine pre-scheduled maintenance work saw heavy smoke through a window in the home. Her husband was at work.

Olmsted County Coroner said a few days after the incident that Sorensen had died as a result of &8220;both blunt and sharp force injury.&8221;

Police said the fire was set to cover the crime.

In addition to this lead, Winters said, police have also continued to follow up on other leads received, including some received after the department requested the public&8217;s help in identifying any individuals who might have exhibited unexplained burns or injuries to the hands, arms, face or other exposed areas of the body close to the time of Sorensen&8217;s death.

The department has consulted with the FBI to develop a possible profile of the suspect in the case, he said. This can be a helpful tool in determining the type of individual who could commit a crime like this.

The bureau has been consulted in regards to expertise of arsons, and specifically with arsons associated with the death of an individual, Winters added.

Likewise, the department has consulted the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and discussed case strategies to make sure the investigation is going as well as possible.

&8220;Clearly this is a major investigation for this department,&8221; Winters said. &8220;It has a significant amount of impact for the surviving family of April Sorensen and a public safety impact in our community.&8221;

He said the department has identified and spoken to in excess of 300 people in the development of this case and said the number will continue to grow as the case matures.

Anyone with information to help the investigation can contact the Rochester Police Department at (507) 285-8580.