Man hugged 14-year-old ex-girlfriend after stabbing her 12 times, slitting her throat

August 28, 2024 Sharon Banks

In a chilling incident in Moorhead, Minnesota, an 18-year-old man, Isaac Arthur Arndt, committed a brutal crime that has shocked the community.

Arndt stabbed his 14-year-old ex-girlfriend, Jaelyn Walker, 12 times before slitting her throat. In a disturbing twist, he hugged her after the attack, only to stab her one final time in the back.

The tragic events unfolded on the evening of August 19th at Gooseberry Park, which lies near the Minnesota-North Dakota border.

According to the authorities, Arndt initially walked into the Clay County Law Enforcement Center around 11 p.m., claiming that he and Jaelyn had been attacked by an unknown man. He reported sustaining cuts on his fingers during the alleged assault, but his story quickly unraveled under scrutiny.

Later that night, Jaelyn’s mother, worried after not hearing from her daughter, reported her missing to the Moorhead Police Department.

Utilizing a location tracker on Snapchat, officers searched near a bicycle trail along Elm Street and 6th Avenue South, leading them to the gruesome discovery of Jaelyn’s body in the Red River. She had suffered multiple stab wounds, and a knife was found nearby, along with significant blood evidence.

When detectives questioned Arndt at the hospital, his initial claims of being attacked by a mysterious assailant began to crumble. Eventually, he admitted to being in a romantic relationship with Jaelyn for several months, although the relationship had recently ended.

The night of the murder, Jaelyn had confronted Arndt about his new girlfriend. When he refused to give her answers, Arndt claimed she attacked him, prompting him to stab her around 13 times in what he described as a fit of “slashing.”

The details that emerged were harrowing. Arndt confessed that after the initial stabbing, he saw Jaelyn suffering on the ground. He then cut her throat, gave her a hug, and delivered one final stab wound to her back.

Afterward, he dragged her body to the river and left her there, confirming to detectives that she was dead before he fled the scene on his scooter.

A search of Arndt’s home in Fargo yielded further incriminating evidence. Detectives found bloody socks and a towel hidden in a kitchen cupboard, as well as bloodstained toilet paper in the bathroom.

Security footage from Gooseberry Park captured Arndt emerging from the wooded area where Jaelyn’s body was found and leaving on a scooter.

Text messages on Jaelyn’s phone revealed that the two had planned to meet at the park around 7:30 p.m. on the night of the murder. Witnesses also reported seeing a pair matching their descriptions in the area around that time.

Arndt was swiftly arrested and charged with second-degree murder in the death of Jaelyn. He was extradited back to Minnesota, where a judge set his bond at $1 million. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 19.