WILLMAR -- Miles David Edinburgh, 17, of Willmar, has been charged as a juvenile with second-degree murder in connection with the Sunday morning stabbing death of Adam Kenneth Milton, 21, of Willmar.
Edinburgh made his first appearance Tuesday afternoon in Kandiyohi County District Court. District Judge Jon Stafsholt ordered that Edinburgh continue to be held at Prairie Lakes Youth Programs and that a certification study be completed within 30 days to determine if the case should be moved to adult court. His next court date was not immediately set.
Edinburgh appeared in court in street clothing and was accompanied by his mother.
He answered "yes, your honor" to several questions asked by the judge. The boy was represented by public defender John Holbrook, who informed the court that another public defender, Jay Liedman, will represent the boy in future court appearances.
First Assistant County Attorney Connie Crowell, who wants Edinburgh certified as an adult, argued that the teen has numerous court files, including a felony charge for possessing a knife and using it to injure another boy at Willmar High School. That charge was dismissed in June 2007.
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"The juvenile has a prior record of delinquency," she said. The court files "set a dangerous pattern of violent, aggressive and hostile acts."
Crowell also noted that the boy failed to appear for a court hearing on July 11 for misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct charges. That case is not public record, but Crowell said it is "eerily similar" to the circumstances of the murder case.
According to the petition filed Tuesday, police were called to the Evergreen Ridge Apartment complex, along the 1300 block of 24th Street Northwest around 12:50 a.m. Sunday. They found a group of people around Milton, began first aid and called for an ambulance. His shirt and shorts were covered in blood. Another man pointed out two stab wounds on Milton's chest and assisted with the first aid administration. Milton appeared semi-conscious and was making labored breathing noises. He was transported to Rice Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 1:44 a.m.
Police interviewed a number of young adults and juveniles who said Edinburgh and another 17-year-old had fled the scene. Officers conducted a search and discovered Edinburgh hiding under a car in a driveway along the 2700 block of 12th Avenue Northwest. The other teen was found in the Sunwood Apartments building. Both teens were arrested and taken to Prairie Lakes. The other teen has since been released.
A group of men told officers they were at an apartment, heard a knock at the door and opened it to find three men. They told the group to leave, but one of them, later identified as Edinburgh, hung around a vehicle in the parking lot. The men told the teen to leave, and punches and racial slurs were exchanged. Edinburgh then fled, with Milton is pursuit. Both are African American.
Milton and Edinburgh were "scrapping," when Milton fell to the ground. A witness told police Milton said "he poked me with something" before he saw the blood and called police.
Investigators combed the area and found shoes, believed to be Edinburgh's, and a cell phone in a nearby backyard. Officers located a brushed stainless steel knife with a wood grip protruding from the ground near a group of trees around 8 a.m.
