Man Charged With Murder in Fatal Stabbing of Brother in North Minneapolis
Published: May 1st 2026
MINNEAPOLIS MN: A man has been charged with murder in the fatal stabbing of his brother early April 30 in north Minneapolis, according to a criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County.
Javontae Deshawn Simms is charged with two counts of second-degree murder:
Count I: Murder – 2nd Degree – With Intent – Not Premeditated
Minnesota Statute: 609.19.1(1)
Maximum Sentence: 40 years
Offense Level: FelonyCount II: Murder – 2nd Degree – Without Intent – While Committing a Felony
Minnesota Statute: 609.19.2(1)
Maximum Sentence: 40 years
Offense Level: Felony
According to the criminal complaint, on April 30, 2026, at approximately 3:06 a.m., officers with the Minneapolis Police Department were dispatched to a reported stabbing at 3003 Girard Avenue North in Minneapolis.
Upon arrival, officers located an unconscious adult male lying face-up just inside the doorway. A woman, identified in the complaint as Witness 1 and described as the victim’s girlfriend, was applying pressure to a wound under the victim’s left armpit. Officers performed lifesaving measures until paramedics arrived, but the man was pronounced deceased at the scene at approximately 3:32 a.m., according to the complaint.
Witness 1 told officers she and the victim had been upstairs eating when Simms came upstairs and became upset about the kitchen not being cleaned. The complaint states the victim did not argue, and Simms went downstairs before returning.
According to the complaint, Simms then pushed the victim and called him a derogatory name, leading to a physical altercation. Afterward, Witness 1 reported seeing Simms holding a bloody knife. She told officers she heard the victim say, “he just stabbed me,” before assisting him downstairs and applying pressure to the wound.
A second woman, identified as Witness 2, told officers she heard Simms yelling about cleaning up and warning the victim “it’s going to be an issue between you and me.” She later observed Simms return upstairs with a knife, push the victim, and engage in another altercation. Witness 2 also reported hearing the victim say he had been stabbed, according to the complaint.
Officers searched the home and located Simms in the basement, lying facedown near a panel positioned to create a concealed area under a staircase. He was taken into custody.
In a recorded post-Miranda statement, Simms told investigators he confronted the victim about cleaning and that a fight occurred, the complaint states. He admitted to going back upstairs with a knife in his pocket and later pulling it out during another altercation. Simms told investigators he intended to stab the victim and admitted to doing so, though he gave differing accounts, including claiming he was attempting to “fake” stab the victim and later stating the victim ran into the knife.
Simms also acknowledged that the victim did not have a weapon at the time of the stabbing, according to the complaint.
The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.