2 Charged In Death Of 79-Year-Old St. Paul Woman

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Prosecutors have charged two men with the murder of a 79-year-old woman on St. Paul's east side.

Kevin Reek, 49, and Richard Joles, 29, face two counts of second-degree murder in the death of Myong Gossel, who was found beaten to death inside her home on Jan. 4.

Investigators believe Joles, who worked as a handyman for Gossel, used that relationship to set her up to be robbed and killed.

Neighbor Robert Zordich says people were shocked to learn of Gossel's death. She had lived in the east St. Paul neighborhood for decades.

"She was just a wonderful neighbor," Zordich said. "She would come over to here and to some of the other neighbors' and bring home cooked food once in a while."

Zordich says information neighbors gave to investigators helped crack the case.

"We were asked about who might be somebody to consider," he said. "The only thing that anybody really could remember is this summer there were some people here who had done some work for her."

Zordich says neighbors noticed the workers and that something was not quite right.

Investigators found Joles after he was arrested on a warrant. He had worked as a handyman for Gossel.

According to the criminal complaint, Joles' fingerprints were found on top of a file cabinet and on the back of a jewelry box in Gossel's bedroom.

When questioned and shown a picture of Gossel's bruised body, Joles told investigators that he knew she was beaten to death.

Joles admitted to showing Reek where he did handywork. He also told investigators that Reek wanted to talk to Gossel himself and rob her.

Zordich says neighbors are quietly celebrating the arrest.

"We're all resting a lot easier," he said.

Police arrested Reek on a parole violation in Illinois. He and two others tied up, beat and robbed an elderly couple in their home in Tennessee.

Bail for both Reek and Joles is set at $1 million.