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#WeRememberMN
Violence Free Minnesota, the coalition to end relationship abuse, remembers Kristi Joy Gardner, the1st confirmed victim of domestic violence-related homicide in Minnesota in 2025.
Kristi Joy Gardner
Kristi Joy Gardner, 57, died from multiple gunshot wounds in a home in Lake Crystal on January 9, 2025. Police were alerted by a 911 caller who stated they had found her unresponsive in the home. Police then determined that Kristi had been in a relationship with Gary Rodewald, 64 and went to find Rodewald. They found him unresponsive in his garage in New Ulm as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was taken to a hospital in Minneapolis where he died of his injuries on January 11, 2025. Police stated that they were investigating Kristi’s death as a murder-suicide, and the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office determined her death was a homicide.
Rodewald had several convictions for violating Harassment Restraining Orders and Orders for Protection dating as far back as 2000, though it is unclear against whom.
Kristi was a nurse at the Mankato Clinic for nearly three decades and was described as “an awesome nurse and kind friend” and “a wonderful person” who enjoyed cooking, gardening, and puzzles. She leaves behind five children.
Learn more here: https://www.vfmn.org/we-remember #WeRememberMN
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Helping Survivors of Violence
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We are a nonprofit organization committed to providing advocacy and support to victims of Intimate Partner Abuse and Sexual Violence.
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