Mankato, MN (KROC-AM News) - A Mankato teenager has been sentenced to just over 30 years in prison for a murder that occurred near Mankato West High School.

Court records say 19-year-old Guenther Boone Jr. was arrested on December 21, 2024, after Mankato police responded to a report of a shooting and found a man dead in the passenger seat of a vehicle with a gunshot wound to the back of his head. According to the criminal complaint, the driver of the vehicle told investigators that he and the 31-year-old victim had gone to Boone’s residence to sell him marijuana vape cartridges.

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The witness stated that Boone got into the back seat of the car and heard him say, “Why are you clutching, bro?” just before hearing a pop as the victim was shot in the head. The witness told Mankato police that Boone then fled from the vehicle on foot.

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After police arrived at the crime scene, they located Boone at his residence. The court documents say Boone initially denied any knowledge of what had happened outside his home, but when confronted with the evidence, he admitted to shooting the victim in the head “execution style.”

Mankato Police Department photo

The criminal complaint states that Boone told investigators about his plan to rob the driver of the vehicle and that he shot the victim after seeing him move his hand. Boone admitted he did not actually see a gun but assumed the victim had one because he was the person who had previously sold him the murder weapon.

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Boone was charged with second-degree murder, possession of a firearm with no serial number, and a gross misdemeanor count of carrying a pistol without a permit. He entered into a plea agreement in May and admitted to the second-degree murder charge.

Under the terms of his plea agreement, Boone could have faced up to 40 years in prison.

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