Investigators said the victim was shot during a confrontation while the homeowner was away on vacation.
BURNSVILLE, Minn. — A Minnesota woman who admitted shooting a 70-year-old man inside her father’s home and attempting to conceal the killing was sentenced Tuesday to nearly 22 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree intentional murder in Dakota County.
Josephine Powers, 27, accepted responsibility for the July 2024 killing of Michael Robert Riccio at a house in Burnsville while her father was traveling out of town. Prosecutors said Powers later arranged for someone to clean parts of the scene and remove evidence before the homicide was reported to police. The case drew attention after investigators learned the homeowner returned from vacation to find what he first believed was brown paint splattered through parts of the residence, only to later discover a man had been killed there days earlier.
According to court records and statements summarized during the case, Riccio was fatally shot on July 9, 2024, inside the basement area of the home. Authorities said Powers later told police she shot Riccio in the head during an escalating dispute. Investigators said Powers claimed the victim had been “f—ing with her” and that she “could not take it anymore.” Her father was away on vacation when the shooting occurred. After returning home during a lunch break from work, the homeowner encountered a man wearing a hazmat suit inside the residence. The man was reportedly cleaning what appeared to be brown stains and removing carpeting from the basement. The homeowner initially believed the substance was paint or another household spill. Over the following days, he noticed a strong smell of bleach in the house and observed what appeared to be patched bullet holes in a wall. Authorities later said those discoveries became important evidence in reconstructing the timeline after the killing.
Investigators said the homicide remained unreported for more than a week. On July 18, 2024, one of Powers’ friends informed the homeowner that Riccio had allegedly been killed inside the residence while the family was away. That same day, Powers contacted law enforcement and reported the shooting. Officers responding to the scene began examining the basement and areas where cleanup efforts had allegedly occurred. Court filings indicated investigators found signs of attempted evidence removal, including damaged carpeting and extensive cleaning products used throughout parts of the home. Authorities did not publicly identify the man seen in the hazmat suit in early reports, though prosecutors said Powers enlisted outside help in trying to clean the scene after the shooting. Officials also examined communications and statements connected to the days between Riccio’s death and the eventual police report. Investigators have not publicly described any prior criminal history involving Riccio and Powers, and some details surrounding their relationship were not fully outlined during sentencing proceedings.
The case unfolded against a broader national backdrop of prosecutors increasingly highlighting post-crime concealment efforts as evidence of intent and consciousness of guilt in homicide investigations. In Minnesota, second-degree intentional murder charges can carry decades-long prison terms even without premeditation findings. Prosecutors argued that Powers’ actions after the shooting — including delaying notification to police and arranging cleanup efforts — demonstrated an awareness of the seriousness of the crime and an attempt to hinder investigators. Burnsville, a suburb south of Minneapolis, has rarely seen homicide cases involving elaborate cleanup allegations inside occupied family homes. Court records indicated the father had no knowledge of the killing while traveling and only slowly pieced together that something far more serious than property damage had occurred. The unusual details surrounding the homeowner’s return, including the presence of industrial cleaning activity and patched walls, became central elements of public reporting on the case and were later repeated during court proceedings.
Powers ultimately entered a guilty plea to second-degree intentional murder rather than proceed to trial. Dakota County prosecutors said the plea resolved the most serious charge connected to Riccio’s death and avoided prolonged court proceedings. During sentencing Tuesday, the court imposed a prison term of just under 22 years. Under Minnesota sentencing practices, defendants typically serve a portion of that sentence in custody before supervised release eligibility. Authorities did not announce additional charges connected to the cleanup effort at the time of sentencing coverage. Prosecutors said the plea agreement reflected both the severity of the killing and the circumstances uncovered during the investigation. Court proceedings focused heavily on the timeline between the July 9 shooting and the July 18 police report, including what actions were taken inside the home during that period. Officials have not announced any additional hearings tied to the homicide case, and the sentence largely concludes the criminal prosecution against Powers unless future appeals are filed.
Neighbors and residents in the Burnsville area expressed shock after details emerged about the killing and the attempted cleanup inside the suburban home. The case generated attention because of the unsettling sequence described by investigators: a homeowner returning from vacation, noticing suspicious stains and repair work, and gradually learning a fatal shooting had taken place inside the residence while he was away. Prosecutors kept many courtroom statements focused on the impact of the killing on Riccio’s family and the disruption caused to the homeowner, who unexpectedly became linked to a homicide investigation centered on his own property. Officials did not describe lengthy public statements from Powers during sentencing, and the hearing remained largely procedural. Law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation said the delayed report and altered scene created additional challenges for detectives attempting to reconstruct events from the days immediately after Riccio’s death.
The case now stands closed at the trial court level following Powers’ sentencing, with no further hearings immediately scheduled. Investigators and prosecutors said the prison sentence resolves the criminal charges stemming from Riccio’s death, nearly two years after the shooting inside the Burnsville home.