Aaron Schnagl charged in murder of girlfriend Danielle Jelinek
A Minnesota man has been indicted in the murder of his girlfriend and now faces charges of third-degree murder.
Aaron Jude Schnagl, age 29, was indicted by a Chisago County grand jury for the death of Danielle Jelinek, age 27 when she went missing on December 9, 2012.
Jelinek’s remains were found on May 11 in a small body of water near Schnagl’s home. He’s remained a person of interest in her disappearance since the investigation began.
Schnagl’s attorney, Rachael Goldberger, said Monday that she had no additional facts and that her client is disappointed in the indictment.
“He continues to maintain his innocence, as he has for the last year,” Goldberger said. “This hasn’t changed our position at all. It’s always been that he did not kill her.”
Chisago County Attorney Janet Reiter said she chose to present the case to a grand jury, even though it’s uncommon for a third-degree unintentional charge.
“In this case, it was strategic in that we thought it would give us the best possible opportunity to put a strong case forward,” Reiter said. “It was a decision to submit the evidence to a grand jury rather than filing a criminal complaint. It’s our opinion that this will give us the best opportunity to gain a conviction.”