Fugitive convicted murderer who skipped end of trial found dead in Minnesota after manhunt

A Minnesota man who has been on the run since being convicted of murder and skipping out on his trial earlier this month has been found dead following a manhunt, officials said Saturday.

Ralph Apmann, 58, was found dead Friday night in Minneapolis’ Boom Island Park, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said. 

Apmann’s body was taken to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office to determine his cause and manner of death.

Apmann had posted $150,000 bail after he was charged with putting 40-year-old Juan Morales-Rivera, of Worthington, in a fatal chokehold in August 2021 at the Phat Pheasant Pub in Windom.

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Ralph Apmann, 58, was believed to have gone to the Twin Cities metro area armed with an AR-15 and 9mm handgun after he was convicted of second-degree murder during a trial that he skipped out on earlier this month. (Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension )

The 58-year-old had stopped showing up at his murder trial, which began earlier this month in Cottonwood County, and a jury convicted him in absentia of second-degree unintentional murder on Feb. 14.

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Authorities began looking for Apmann after he failed to appear in court, warning that he was armed and dangerous with what was believed to be an AR-15 rifle and 9mm handgun.

Apmann was found dead Friday night in Minneapolis’ Boom Island Park, authorities said. (FOX News)

Investigators believed at the time that Apmann was likely heading to the Twin Cities.

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No further details were immediately released.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.