Man Convicted of Hibbing Murder Sentenced

HIBBING, Minn. –A Grand Rapids man convicted of murder in the second-degree was sentenced today to nearly 29 years in prison.

34-year-old Benjamin Lundquist was accused of stabbing and killing 54-year-old Joel Gangness of Hibbing in January of 2017 in an apartment there.

Lundquist initially told police that Jesus told him to commit the crime.

A Sixth District judge previously ruled Lundquist did not have mental illness or cognitive impairment to afford him a mental illness defense.