Crime & Safety

Two Men Charged for Murder of Shea Stremcha

Robert Emmanuel Shelby, 27, and Semaj Williams, 21, each face up to 60 years in prison for their alleged involvement in the murder of Northfield High School graduate Shea Stremcha.

Two men were charged Tuesday with the .

Minneapolis Police say Robert Emmanuel Shelby, 27, broke into Stremcha’s south Minneapolis home in the early hours of July 20 and then shot him in the chest once and fled, leaving Stremcha bleeding to death on his hallway floor. Semaj Williams, 21, was allegedly with Shelby during the incident, police said.

Shelby and Williams each face a maximum penalty of 60 years in prison and a $35,000 fine for a second-degree murder charge and first-degree burglary charge. They’re both being held in Hennepin County Jail without bail.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County District Court:

Stremcha’s fiancée woke up shortly after 3 a.m. to the sound of breaking glass and woke Stremcha to investigate. Stremcha grabbed a knife from a table next to his bed and left the bedroom. The fiancée told police she heard a gunshot shortly thereafter and found Stremcha lying on the floor, bleeding out. She called police and applied pressure to his wound but Stremcha was pronounced dead when paramedics arrived. Stremcha was 25.

The knife was found near Stremcha’s body, which, according to police, Stremcha used to cut Shelby’s left index finger. A trail of blood led from Stremcha’s house to the alley, which later tested as a match to Shelby’s blood, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Police arrested Shelby the night of the murder on an active felony warrant.

The following day police interviewed and arrested Williams after a fingerprint found at the home matched his. Williams admitted he was with Shelby in the area on the night of the murder.

According to Minnesota Court records, Shelby has a lengthy criminal history, including convictions for drug charges, fleeing a police officer and possessing a firearm. In 2006, Williams was convicted of aggravated robbery, according to court records.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Northfield