Man accused of hiding four corpses in Dunn Co. shooting fires attorney

Chris Vetter, The Leader-Telegram, Eau Claire, Wis.
·2 min read

MENOMONIE — A man accused of helping to hide four corpses in Dunn County in September 2021 fired his attorney Friday at his arraignment in Dunn County Court.

Darren L. Osborne, 59, also known as Darren McWright, was charged with four counts of hiding a corpse — party to a crime. His son, 40-year-old Antoine D. Suggs, was sentenced in Minnesota in May 2023 to serve consecutive life sentences totaling 103 years in prison. Suggs was convicted by a Ramsey County jury in April 2023 of killing Jasmine Sturm, 30; Matthew Pettus, 26; Loyace Foreman III, 35; and Nitosha Flug-Presley, 30.

The murders took place Sept. 12, 2021, after a night of drinking at a bar in St. Paul, Minn. The criminal complaint does not give a motive for why Suggs shot and killed the four people.

The bodies of the four victims were found dead of gunshot wounds in an SUV that was abandoned in a Dunn County cornfield near the town of Sheridan. Reports at the time said the four were together in a St. Paul bar the night before the bodies were found. Suggs turned himself in to police in Gilbert, Ariz., after a warrant was issued by the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office. Suggs, who had lived near Phoenix, Arizona, traveled to Minnesota shortly before the murders occurred.

Osborne appeared via video from the Dunn County Jail for his arraignment Friday. However, Osborne told Judge James Peterson he wanted to fire his attorney, Travis Satorius, and he is seeking a change of venue, telling Peterson he didn’t think he could get a fair trial in Dunn County Court.

After hearing from Osborne, Peterson agreed to relieve Satorius and allow him to find a new attorney. Peterson set a status conference for May 24. A four-day trial, set to begin June 24, remains on the court calendar at this time.

At the time of the shooting, Osborne was already charged in Minnesota with assaulting a man outside a gas station in St. Paul, and was out on bond.

Court records show Osborne now has an address of a prison in Faribault, Minn. Dunn County District Attorney Andrea Nodolf said Osborne was sentenced in Minnesota for his role in hiding the bodies, but he could be released from a Minnesota prison as early as November. However, the conviction in Minnesota doesn’t eliminate the charges Osborne is facing in Dunn County, Nodolf explained.

Suggs reportedly told the judge at sentencing he was wrongfully convicted, and Suggs showed no remorse or sympathy and “cast blame on others.” Suggs also had been charged in Dunn County Court with four counts of hiding a corpse, but those charges were dismissed in July 2023.