Man Murdered Eagan Woman And Her Unborn Child, Jury Finds

EAGAN, MN — Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom announced that Vern Jason Mouelle, 24, of Brooklyn Park was convicted late Monday by a jury of two counts of first degree murder and two counts of second degree murder in the death of Senicha Marie Lessman, 25, and her unborn child.

The jury deliberated for about four hours, authorities said. Judge Erica MacDonald sentenced Mouelle to two consecutive terms of life without the possibility of parole.

"We are pleased to have brought Vern Mouelle to justice for this horrific crime which tragically claimed the life of Senicha Lessman and her unborn child," Backstrom said in a statement.

Lessman's mother found her naked, unconscious and unresponsive with a bloody cloth stuffed in her mouth in the bedroom of her Eagan home Jan. 24, 2017. She had a knife wound in her neck, according to investigators.

Emergency medical personnel tried to revive her but were unsuccessful. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Lessman was approximately 32 weeks pregnant, and her unborn child also died. Lessman's mother told authorities that Mouelle was the child’s father.

Police obtained a search warrant for Mouelle's vehicle and found a store receipt for a pocket knife, a bloody trashcan and bloody clothing.

An analysis of Mouelle’s cell phone found the following internet searches: "How long would it take to die if one of your external jugular vein(s) was slit"; and "How much time does it take to knock someone out with a rear naked choke." These searches occurred while Mouelle was driving to the victim’s residence immediately before the murder, authorities said.

According to her obituary, Lessman was born in Bulgaria, where her birth parents had migrated to from Turkey. She lived in two orphanages before coming to the United States when she was six. She was adopted by Margi Lessman when she was nine.

Image via Eagan Police Department