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Violence Free Minnesota, the coalition to end relationship abuse, remembers Erin Abramson, Jacob Nephew, Kathryn "Kat" Ramsland, and Oliver Nephew, the 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st confirmed victims of domestic violence homicide in Minnesota in 2024.

Erin Abramson, 47; her son Jacob Nephew, 15; Kathryn “Kat” Ramsland, 45; and her son Oliver

Nephew, 7, were shot and killed on November 7, 2024, in their respective homes in Duluth. All four were killed by Anthony Nephew, 46, who was Erin’s ex-partner and the father of Jacob Nephew; and who was Kathryn’s husband and the father of Oliver Nephew. After shooting and killing both women and his sons, Nephew shot and killed himself.

Erin, who worked for the City of Superior, was a member of the Moms Run This Town (MRTT) group and made many friendships with other running moms. She was described as “the happiest person they’ve seen at five in the morning.” Her son Jacob was a “talented academic and generous spirit,” a musician who was involved in skiing, knowledge bowl, environmental advocacy, and much more at Marshall School. 

Kathryn was a professor in the Art Department at Lake Superior College who loved coffee, plants, anime, and spending time with Oliver. Kathryn was described as a “passionate educator and esteemed colleague” who will leave a lasting impact on her art students. Her son Oliver was described as “a beacon of positivity” who established a “Free Toy Library” so children in his neighborhood had access to toys. Oliver loved sweets, his brother Jacob Nephew, dinosaurs, and his guinea pig and dog.

MEMORIAL EVENTS PLANNED  

There is a candlelight walk planned for Wednesday, November 13th at 6pm. You’ll meet at the home of Kat Ramsland and Tony and Oliver Nephew, which is at 4401 W 6th Street. From there, you’ll walk to the home of Erin Abramson and her son, Jacob, which is on the 6000 block of Tacony Street.

There is also a run planned for Friday, November 29th. It would have been Erin Abramson’s 48th birthday. She was an avid member of the She Runs This Town running club. The Erin and Jacob Memorial Run, Walk, Bike is Friday November 29th, at 6:30am. You’ll meet in the parking lot of the lower chalet at Spirit Mountain.

Friends have set up a GoFundMe page to support scholarships in their honor: https://www.gofundme.com/f/erin-and-jacobs-memorial-run-walk-bike?utm_source=copy_link&utm_medium=customer&utm_campaign=man_sharesheet_dash&attribution_id=sl%3A2e6778ea-a48c-4972-acbf-793e8c8726cb

Learn more here: https://www.vfmn.org/we-remember #WeRememberMN 

Violence Free Minnesota, the coalition to end relationship abuse, remembers Mary Kathleen Schlais, a confirmed victim of "rejection" homicide in Minnesota in 1974.

Violence Free Minnesota began tracking intimate partner homicides and related homicides in Minnesota in 1989. This past week, we learned of the previously-cold case homicide of a young Minneapolis woman, Mary, in 1974. The person who is suspected of killing her, a Minnesota man, was just arrested last week. Although there is no existing VFMN homicide report to add Mary to, we want to recognize her death and honor her as a person. 

Mary was killed while hitchhiking from Minneapolis to Chicago, and the person recently arrested for her murder informed police that when she declined to engage in sexual activity with him, he killed her. While this is not a domestic violence homicide, we do include homicides in our reports that fit a "rejection" criteria - in other words, deaths of individuals who were killed by perpetrators who were upset the victim had rejected them. We do this because we understand this type of abuse is a system of violence that disproportionately impacts women and must be recognized and addressed.

Mary Kathleen Schlais was a talented artist and was an honor graduate at the University of Minnesota with an art degree. Her paintings and sculptures were exhibited at the Women’s Institute for Social Change at the YCA shortly before she was killed. She also loved learning multiple languages, including German, Danish, and Japanese, and loved to travel. She was on her way to an art show in Chicago when she was murdered.

We remember Mary Kathleen Schlais, 50 years after her homicide. She deserved to reach that art show in Chicago, and to attend many more. We wish her family as much peace as possible.
 

Learn more here: https://www.vfmn.org/we-remember #WeRememberMN 

Violence Free Minnesota, the coalition to end relationship abuse, remembers Samantha Koehne, the 17th confirmed victim of intimate partner homicide in Minnesota in 2024.

Samantha Koehne, 38, died as a result of probable asphyxia on November 2, 2024, in a home in Edgerton. Joseph Benson, 35, described as Samantha’s boyfriend, is charged with second-degree murder. Police were called to the home in Edgerton on November 2nd, where Samantha and Benson were housesitting, after Benson told the homeowner he had killed Samantha. Police found Samantha with a cord wrapped around her legs and across her body. They also found a video of Benson following Samantha, in which she showed the camera bruises on her face that she stated were from him beating her.

Samantha Koehne, also known as “Panda,” was from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and was described by many people as an “amazing friend” who “brought light and joy into a room no matter what.” Multiple people described her as having a beautiful laugh. We remember Samantha Koehne.
 

Learn more here: https://www.vfmn.org/we-remember #WeRememberMN 

Violence Free Minnesota, the coalition to end relationship abuse, remembers Lyle Maske, the 16th confirmed victim of domestic violence-related homicide in Minnesota in 2024.

Lyle Maske, 62, was fatally shot in Brainerd on November 1, 2024, after intervening in a domestic violence incident. Chad Aanerud, 35, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder, one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, five counts of kidnapping, two counts of second degree

assault, one count of first-degree arson, and one count of theft. Aanerud is suspected of sexually assaulting his pregnant ex-girlfriend in Brainerd on or around the night of October 31st after threatening to shoot her children if she did not engage in sexual activity. He then began dumping gasoline on her family members’ home, which later burned to the ground, and began taking firearms from the home. His ex-girlfriend asked her children to go down the road to Lyle’s home to ask for help.

Aanerud fatally shot Lyle when he arrived to intervene. Aanerud then kidnapped his ex-girlfriend and her children at gunpoint and fled by vehicle as a statewide Amber Alert was sent out. He was eventually arrested on the morning of November 1st and his ex-girlfriend and children were recovered. Aanerud was legally prohibited from possessing firearms at the time he killed Lyle and had a felony conviction for threats of violence against an ex-girlfriend in 2021.

Lyle Maske, who was killed while intervening in a domestic violence incident, was described as “generous, compassionate, and helpful,” a “beautiful person inside and out,” and someone who “helped anybody and everybody and never asked for anything in return.” 

Lyle leaves behind four children and was also a grandfather. 

There is an option for donations available for Lyle Maske's funeral services. The donations button is listed on his obituary page at https://www.brenny.com/obituaries/lyle-maske

Learn more here: https://www.vfmn.org/we-remember #WeRememberMN 

Violence Free Minnesota, the coalition to end relationship abuse, remembers Damara Alexis Kirkland, the 15th confirmed victim of intimate partner homicide in Minnesota in 2024.

Damara Alexis Kirkland, 35, was shot and killed in her North End St. Paul apartment on October 19, 2024. Kirkland’s ex-husband, Mychel Stowers, 36, is charged with intentional second-degree

murder of Damara, and second-degree murder of an unborn child. Damara was estimated to be eight to nine weeks pregnant. Police found Damara lying in her bedroom on the night of October 19 after residents reported gunshots. Stowers also shot a man in the leg and stole his car shortly after killing Damara. On the day of the shooting, Stowers had been granted a pass to visit Damara from the halfway house he was living in. Damara and Stowers, who had married in December 2021, were

in the middle of a divorce initiated in June. At the time of this writing, Stowers has not turned himself in.
 

Learn more here: https://www.vfmn.org/we-remember #WeRememberMN 

Violence Free Minnesota, the coalition to end relationship abuse, remembers Jerome (Jerry) Skluzacek, the 14th confirmed victim of intimate partner homicide in Minnesota in 2024.

Jerome (Jerry) Skluzacek, 55, was shot and killed during an attempted carjacking on a highway near Willmar on October 22nd, 2024. Ameer Matariyeh, 25, is charged with second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, and fleeing police. Early in the afternoon of October 22nd, police were dispatched to a domestic violence call at an apartment in Minneapolis, where Matariyeh had fired gunshots from a balcony at his ex-girlfriend and her current boyfriend, who were there attempting to retrieve some of her belongings. They were not hit by the gunfire. Matariyeh is the father of his ex-girlfriend’s child. At some point Matariyeh left the apartment and fled the scene by vehicle as crisis negotiators reached him by phone. Matariyeh eventually shot and wounded a man at a home near Lake Lillian, who is expected to survive, before shooting and

killing Jerry near Willmar and being taken into custody. Jerome (Jerry) Skluzacek, of New London, leaves behind a fiancée and at least two children. 

Jerry was described as someone who was “always willing to help people,” had a good sense of humor, and could “pretty much fix anything.”
 

Learn more here: https://www.vfmn.org/we-remember #WeRememberMN