Rochester man charged with brutal killing of woman at rural Minnesota boat launch

A Rochester man is being held on $2 million bond after being charged Friday with the murder of a former romantic partner.

Craig Hameister, 44, is accused of fatally attacking Melissa Hunt, 36, at a boat launch in rural Wabasha County. He faces two charges of second-degree murder, each of which carry a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.

According to the criminal complaint:

Wabasha County deputies were called to a residence in Kellogg on June 18 to a report that a woman had pulled into a driveway with significant injuries to her face, including missing teeth and injuries to her jaw.

The victim, identified as Hunt, told authorities that Hameister had assaulted her with a stick at a nearby boat launch. She was taken to a Wabasha hospital, where she died of her injuries hours later.

When deputies went to the boat launch, they found no evidence of a crime because of heavy rain at the time. However, they located Hameister’s truck outside Chatfield, about 25 miles south of Rochester, where they found a live 9-millimeter round on the floor.

A witness told officers that Hameister had shown up earlier and appeared “very frantic” before leaving on a motorcycle.

Hameister was later located at a trailer park in rural Olmsted County, where he tried to evade officers by climbing a tree. An hourslong standoff ensued before officers were able to get him into custody.

A 9 mm handgun was found at the base of the tree that Hameister had sheltered in. Deputies also found an unspent round of ammunition at the boat launch where the alleged killing took place.

An autopsy from the medical examiner’s officer later revealed that the wound to Hunt’s face had gunshot residue imbedded in it.

Court records show Hameister and Hunt had been involved in a child-support dispute years earlier. In 2022, Hameister was ordered to pay $645 a month in support for a child he shared with Hunt. He was also ordered to pay Hunt nearly $3,000 for past child support.

In the days since Hunt’s killing, more than $10,000 has been donated to a crowdfunding campaign set up to help her family with the burial.

A longtime friend of Hunt’s described her as “a big-hearted girl” who loved and adored her children.

“She had a smile that brightens every room and knew how to lighten up even the worst situations,” the friend, Jami Christine, told KTTC TV in Rochester.