St. Paul police arrested a man carrying a large knife and a bottle of tequila Tuesday after he killed a neighbor who tried to intervene in a domestic disturbance, authorities say.
Htoo Day, 61, of St. Paul was charged Thursday with one count of second-degree intentional murder in the fatal stabbing of a 29-year-old woman in the heart, according to the criminal complaint filed against him in Ramsey County District Court.
Paw Boh Htoo was trying to help Day’s wife and children make arrangements to stay someplace else until tension subsided, according to the complaint.
Day’s wife told investigators through an interpreter that two of the couple’s four children were “horsing around” Sunday in their apartment on Edmund Avenue in St. Paul when one of them accidentally broke a mirror, the complaint said.
The children range in age from 4 to 12.
Day reportedly got angry about the incident and told the kids to leave. Day’s wife told him if they had to leave, she would go, too, according to the complaint.
They were staying in a different neighbor’s unit in the building when Day’s wife returned to her apartment Tuesday to get her youngest child.
That’s when, she said, Day grabbed her to prevent her from leaving and began threatening to kill her and her family if she followed through with her plans, the complaint said.
She eventually broke away and ran back to the other unit. Day followed, carrying a large knife in a shoulder bag, charges say.
A NEIGHBOR INTERVENES
When he got there, he saw Paw Boh Htoo also inside the unit.
Day asked her what she was doing there, according to the complaint, and Paw Boh Htoo responded that she had agreed to help his wife move in with relatives until their home situation cooled.
That’s when Day pulled the knife out of his bag and stabbed her in the chest, Day’s wife told investigators. Everyone else in the unit fled.
After police arrived, Paw Boh Htoo was taken to Regions Hospital, where she died.
Day was arrested in the entryway of the apartment building. He was holding a bottle of tequila while carrying the knife inside a bag, the complaint said.
In an interview with police, Day admitted to the stabbing and said he did it because he was drunk and angry that Paw Boh Htoo was trying to take his wife away from him, according to the complaint.
He said he knew his actions were wrong and that he deserved the death penalty, the complaint said.
Day has no criminal history in Minnesota. His wife told police that the couple arrived in Minnesota from Thailand in late 2016.
He was scheduled to make his first court appearance on the charges Thursday. No attorney was listed for him in court records.
Paw Boh Htoo moved to Minnesota in 2011 from a refugee camp in Thailand, according to a staff profile posted on the Karen Organization of Minnesota’s website.
She had been going to school to obtain an associate’s degree in legal interpreting and translating, the profile said.
Paw Boh Htoo was a weaving project coordinator for the Roseville-based Karen Organization of Minnesota, which provides services to refugees, most of whom were born in Myanmar, according to Alexis Walstad, one of the organization’s co-executive directors.
Walstad recalls interviewing the 29-year-old before she was hired this past spring.
“She was just very excited. Very hopeful. Very eager to support her community,” Walstad said.
Born and raised in a small village in Myanmar, Paw Boh Htoo learned how to weave traditional Karen clothes while living in a Thai refugee camp.
She shared her skills locally by leading a Karen Weaving Circle that met weekly at a St. Paul library. She also taught classes to high school students as part of the organization’s youth program.
One of her friends, Carrie Vogelsang, posted about her loss on Facebook.
“I’m heartbroken to learn about my sweet friend Paw Htoo. She was a beautiful person, a light and treasure. One of the kindest people I’ve known,” Vogelsang wrote, later referring to Paw Boh Htoo as a “community leader” and passionate traveler.
“She saw more places in her short life in the (United States) than most Americans who were born here,” Vogelsang continued.
Paw Boh Htoo had just recently returned from a trip to Washington, D.C., where she and hundreds of other Minnesota Karen residents gathered to advocate for help on issues facing Myanmar.
Staff at the Karen Organization of Minnesota have been deeply troubled over her death, Walstad said. They met Tuesday to share stories about her and begin brainstorming how best to support her family.
Paw Boh Htoo was married and has two children.
“She was just extremely kind. Just a very joyful presence and very passionate and proud of what she did and where she came from and wanting to keep that culture alive,” Walstad said.
Trevor Squire and Frederick Melo contributed to this report.