At the age of 27, Levi Axtell, a resident hailing from the state of Minnesota, tragically extinguished the life of an elderly gentleman whom he suspected of perpetrating acts of child exploitation. He embarked on a journey from the residence of his victim on the North Shore to the Sheriff’s Office, where he willingly surrendered himself.
In the year 2018, Axtell recounted an incident involving Lawrence V. Scully, where Scully had purportedly shadowed Axtell’s 22-month-old daughter as she was being conveyed from her daycare center in Grand Marais. According to Axtell, Scully accomplished this by strategically positioning his van in close proximity to the daycare facility, all the while vigilantly monitoring his daughter.
In a formal appeal submitted by Axtell in 2018, he composed the following words:
“On numerous occasions, he has engaged in the disquieting practice of surveilling children from his van,” Axtell inscribed in a request for a court-issued protective order. “Considering his history as a convicted pedophile, his actions of stalking and attempting to groom my daughter are entirely inappropriate and must desist.”
The court documents reveal that the request was temporarily granted and subsequently revoked after several weeks had elapsed.
Approximately two years later, Axtell and his spouse shared an image on his Facebook profile depicting an individual aiming a firearm, accompanied by the phrase “The sole solution for halting pedophiles: a bullet.” He continued, “People often question why I hold such strong antipathy toward pedophiles. They assume it originates from personal trauma. Yet, in truth, I believe that a vigilant and protective disposition is an innate characteristic of the Axtell family.”
Sheriff Pat Eliasen of Cook County remarked on Thursday that Scully had been found culpable of sexually assaulting a six-year-old girl in Kanabec County back in 1979. Records from the Department of Corrections indicate that Scully was released from prison in 1982. During the early 1980s, Scully relocated to the North Shore.
As documented in the official criminal complaint and an accompanying court dossier:
Shortly after 4:45 p.m., an individual contacted emergency services, reporting that they had observed someone disembark from a minivan and promptly enter Scully’s residence on E. 5th Street. The caller immediately heard distressing cries and witnessed the van departing the scene.
A matter of minutes later, Axtell arrived at the Sheriff’s Office in the van, visibly inebriated. Stained with blood, he entered the lobby, knelt down, and “placed his hands upon his head, admitting to the act of fatally assaulting [Scully] with a shovel,” as documented in the court records.
A deputy sheriff discovered Scully’s lifeless body within his domicile. The severe cranial injuries indicated his demise.
In his statement to the police, Axtell confessed to striking Scully approximately 15 to 20 times with the shovel, followed by delivering additional blows with a substantial moose antler, ultimately terminating Scully’s life. Axtell asserted that he had been acquainted with Scully for an extended period, citing instances of Scully parking his vehicle in areas frequented by children, intensifying Axtell’s apprehension of further transgressions.
The Consequences Levi W. Axtell faced charges of second-degree intentional murder in Cook County District Court, stemming from the demise of Lawrence V. Scully, which transpired on a Wednesday afternoon in Scully’s residence just north of Hwy. 61 in Grand Marais, Minnesota.
Axtell’s Self-Surrender Appearing via video feed from the Cook County jail, Axtell’s legal representatives debated the appropriate bail amount for his potential release during the course of his legal proceedings.
County Attorney Molly Hicken remarked, “This was an unprovoked, savage assault on an elderly individual,” as she beseeched Judge Michael Cuzzo to set bail at $1 million.
Dennis Shaw, the defense attorney, refrained from specifying a bail amount but affirmed that his client had no significant prior criminal record.
“Considering the nature of the charges, the risk of flight is undeniable,” Cuzzo concurred with the prosecution. Axtell remains in custody until his next scheduled court appearance on April 10th.
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