Rochester Man Guilty of All Charges For Near Fatal Hammer Attack

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Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - An Olmsted County Jury has found a Rochester man guilty on all of the charges he faced in connection with a near-fatal attack on his wife two years ago.

The jury convicted 67-year-old Joseph Kinyanjui of first and second-degree attempted murder, along with first and second-degree assault for bludgeoning his wife with a hammer at their home. The jury also found there were aggravating factors that support a sentence longer than recommended by state guidelines.

Kinyanjui was arrested on May 8, 2019, after Rochester police were summoned to the couple's home and found him hitting his wife on the head with a hammer in an attack that continued even after the officers arrived. The criminal complaint stated the officers were able to finally end the assault by shocking him with their Tasers and Kinyanjui's wife was rushed to St. Mary's hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The case was delayed because Kinyanjui was initially ruled incompetent to stand trial. Another evaluation was conducted late last year and an Olmsted County judge issued a ruling in January that cleared him for prosecution.

Kinyanjui is currently scheduled to be sentenced on the afternoon of September 8th. He has been ordered held in the Olmsted County jail without bail until that hearing.

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