The state called its final three witnesses on Friday in the trial of Sheldon Thompson, a Cloquet man accused of murdering Jackie DeFoe, her toddler son Kevin, and her unborn child in March 2020. Thompson is charged with 3 counts of second-degree murder.

A grand jury also indicted Thompson on premeditated murder charges. The prosecution’s testimony began with Detective Eric Baker from the Cloquet Police Department, who helped with the investigation into the death of Defoe and her son in 2020.

Baker recalled responding to a welfare check at Defoe’s home, where he found the two bodies.  He said authorities immediately established a crime scene and notified the BCA, who spent roughly 11 hours collecting samples and investigating.

In his investigation following the BCA’s departure, Baker documented several things that appeared to be out of the ordinary. He photographed screws between the door and doorframe, as well as damage to the door around the screws and shrapnel on the floor that matched the damage.

He also collected a hatchet from the master bedroom.

Investigators began to try and locate Thompson, first obtaining his cell phone number, before identifying vehicles and making a public Facebook post about the search. Once they apprehended Thompson, Baker claimed Thompson had a driver’s license, ID, and credit cards all in his brother’s name. A search of the vehicle he was driving yielded a drill and a knife as well.

The department was notified that Thompson may have thrown his cell phone from a moving car at some point. A K9 officer helped officers locate the phone in a wooded area.

The BCA used the phone to draft a report of phone calls and messages to and from the number in the days surrounding the deaths. One text from Thompson to a relative read, “W-T-F, I need to get the **** out of here.”

Baker also described bank transactions made on a debit card in the days leading up to the incident. Defoe and Thompson could be seen on video visiting several Kwik Trip ATMs and withdrawing money.

At one point, several thousand dollars were withdrawn from an ATM within just minutes. Bank video shows just one man making that withdrawal, presumably Thompson, but the man had a hood on and did not show his face to the camera.

When Baker finished his testimony, the defense called a former friend of Defoe’s to the stand The friend described a situation when Defoe called her saying she didn’t feel safe.

The friend arrived at DeFoe’s home and saw a bruise on her cheek. Shortly after, the two heard Thompson pounding at the front door. The witness says Thompson forced his way in and tried to grab his things.

They claim Thompson swore and pushed Defoe’s toddler Kevin out of the way. 

Thompson’s ex-wife took the stand next, describing four separate incidents of domestic abuse in their relationship. They involved Thompson allegedly hitting her to the ground, punching her, and in one case breaking her jaw.

She also described one time when Thompson threatened to kill her, adding he’d take her to the woods where no one would find her. The prosecution rested their case around noon.

Thompson elected not to testify, and the defense rested without calling any witnesses. The jury was dismissed for the day. Closing arguments and jury deliberation will begin on Tuesday.

To see the original report and read related articles, follow this link to the KBJR-TV website. https://www.kbjr6.com/2022/05/27/testimony-wraps-up-cloquet-murder-trial-jury-deliberate-tuesday/