St. Paul Woman Gets 21 Years For Murdering Ex-Husband, Burying Him In Backyard

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Twin Cities woman was sentenced to more than 21 years in prison for killing her ex-husband and burying him in the backyard of their St. Paul home.

Court officials in Ramsey County say Karina See Her, 40, accepted a plea deal last month in connection to an intentional second-degree murder charge in the death of her ex-husband, 50-year-old Kou Yang. On Tuesday, a judge sentenced Her to 21 years and nine months in prison.

According to investigators, Yang went missing last July. After he hadn't been seen for weeks, someone called 911 asking for a welfare check at the home he shared with Her on the 1100 block of Kennard Street, in the Roosevelt-Phalen Center neighborhood.

Neighbors had noticed a strong odor was coming from the backyard. Investigators found Yang's body buried under a shed. He had two apparent gunshot wounds in the back of his head. Inside the home, blood was found on the walls, which has been painted over.

In an interview with police, Her told officers that she and Yang worked on the house and planned to sell it and go their separate ways. Court records showed that the couple's marriage was dissolved last February.