Wabasha man sentenced to 36 years for March 2021 killing of his father

Mark Wasson, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·2 min read

Jul. 19—WABASHA — A Wabasha man was sentenced to 36 years in prison in Wabasha County District Court on Tuesday, July 19, 2022, for beating and stabbing his father to death in March 2021.

James Edward Riley, 46, pleaded guilty in May

to felony second-degree murder as part of a plea deal which dismissed a count of felony first-degree premeditated murder, which carried a mandatory life sentence.

District Judge Matthew Opat credited Riley with 502 days served. Riley has been in custody since his arrest last year.

As part of the guilty plea, Riley admitted to hitting his father on the back of head with a hammer then stabbing him multiple times, according to a news release from the Wabasha County Attorney's Office. Prosecutors presented an audio recording of Riley's statement admitting he killed his father as well as audio of the 911 call and a portion of the elder Riley's autopsy report.

Law enforcement was called to the rural Zumbro Falls farm on Friday, March 5, 2021, for a report of a death.

Edward Riley, 73, was found by his wife, dead in the trunk of his vehicle, which had been parked in a "strange location," the criminal complaint states. His body had been covered with a tarp inside the vehicle's trunk. A pail of dirt and a hoe were also in the trunk.

A pair of James Riley's shoes with what appeared to be blood on them, as well as spots of blood closer to the house and a shovel with blood on it leaning against a tree, were found by law enforcement.

James Riley was not home when law enforcement arrived but returned to the residence about 2 1/2 hours after the initial 911 call. He initially denied hurting his father but eventually admitted to law enforcement he did it, according to the criminal complaint.

Following his arrest, Riley underwent a psychiatric evaluation and was found to be competent and culpable to proceed in the criminal matter.

Wabasha County Attorney Karrie Kelly said in a statement that family members expressed a desire to move forward to allow James Riley's young children, three of whom were present at the time of the murder, "to find closure."