The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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September 2, 2010

Homicide confirmed in Lake Crystal death

By Dan Nienaber Free Press Staff Writer

LAKE CRYSTAL — A man found dead in his home south of Lake Crystal Tuesday morning was killed by another person, according to the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Department.

“A preliminary autopsy conducted by the Ramsey County medical examiner determined James Mervin Nibbe, 26, of Lake Crystal died of a single gunshot wound and the manner of death has been ruled a homicide,” a news release, issued just after 11 a.m. Thursday, said.

Investigators are still revealing little about the possible circumstances surrounding the shooting. So it isn’t clear whether Nibbe was murdered by an intruder, if he knew the shooter or if it was possibly a situation involving self defense.

Sheriff Brad Peterson is only saying deputies found Nibbe while responding to a burglary report at his residence at 51275 176th Street. He also said he doesn’t believe there is any threat to the public, and that releasing any additional information about the incident could compromise the investigation.

Basic information about a law enforcement agency’s initial response to an incident is generally public. Peterson said he has decided to withhold much of that basic information, such as a brief factual reconstruction of events, under clause in state public information laws that allows him to do so.

That subdivision of the law says an agency can withhold the information if it “reasonably believes that public access would be likely to endanger the physical safety of an individual or cause a perpetrator to flee, evade detection or destroy evidence.”

No one had been arrested as of Thursday morning.

Nibbe was living at the house with his wife, 33-year-old Jennifer Lee Nibbe, and her teenage son, Brady Brown.

Jennifer Nibbe was taken to Immanuel St. Joseph’s Hospital Tuesday, according to hospital records. She was treated and released.

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