Ronald James Kettle, 47, of Bemidji, was sentenced Tuesday in Beltrami County District Court to just over 18 years in prison for the 2005 murder of his mother, Hazel Irene Boswell.
Kettle pleaded guilty Jan. 10 to felony murder. An original charge of felony second-degree murder was dismissed at the sentencing before Beltrami County District Judge Shari Schluchter.
According to court documents, sentencing guidelines called for 165 months in prison. However, Beltrami County Attorney Tim Faver requested an aggravated sentence of 220 months and dismissal of the second charge. He was also ordered to pay $7,500 in restitution.
Kettle, who was represented by defense attorney Diana Sweeney, was charged with beating to death his 70-yearold mother June 3, 2005, at her apartment at 2830 Ridgeway Ave. N.W. He arrived at the Law Enforcement Center at 12:20 a.m. June 5 to tell law enforcement officers he had killed Boswell.
He told the dispatcher he thought he killed her with a kitchen knife.
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Kettle said he had been doing drugs and woke up at about 4 or 5 p.m. June 4 next to his mother's dead body. He tried to kill himself with a knife and was treated at North Country Regional Hospital before being moved to the Beltrami County Jail.
Bemidji Police officers arrived at the apartment at 12:27 a.m. June 5 and found Boswell's blanket-covered body lying in the hallway. They also found large amounts of blood throughout the apartment.
Boswell's autopsy report indicated that she died from being beaten on the face and head (blunt force trauma). The autopsy showed extensive hemorrhaging in the brain. She was also bruised and cut on her upper body (sharp force injuries) and had multiple broken ribs and lung damage.
The case was investigated by the Bemidji Police Department assisted by the crime scene team of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Faver said defense attorneys requested that Kettle undergo psychological evaluation in St. Peter to determine if he was mentally competent continue with the court proceedings. The doctor who conducted the evaluation testified that Kettle was deemed able to participate in the proceedings.
