Son of murdered councilor will not stand trial

The ruling came after Jordahl was after Rule 20 hearings on October 21, 2020 and January 13, 2021. Rule 20 evaluations occur in criminal cases when there is a belief that a defendant may not be competent to proceed with the case or was not responsible at the time of the alleged offense because of mental illness or developmental disability, according to MnCourts.gov.

The court proceedings against Jordahl have been suspended by the court due to the diagnosis of Jordahl’s mental illness.

However, Leah Emmans, assistant Sherburne County attorney, filed paperwork stating that her office is retaining the right to prosecute Jordahl if Jordahl regains the competancy to go to trial.

On November 9, 2020, Jordahl was been civilly committed at a mental health facility while the case against him continued to be litigated. 

In mid -February, after the Rule 20 evaluations were considered in declaring Jordahl incompetent, he was released from custody from within the corrections system to the Sherburne County Department of Health and Human Services

Jordahl was initially charged July 27 with two counts of murder in the second degree- second-degree murder with intent, not premeditated; and second-degree murder without intent while committing another felony, second-degree assault. However, a grand jury convened during the week of August 16 and returned an indictment of premeditated first degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder during a hearing on Friday, Aug. 21.

Jordahl’s mother, Rose Johnson, was found inside her home in the 1800 block of Golf Street in Big Lake on the morning of July 23.

The Big Lake Police Department and Sherburne sheriff’s office responded to the residence after receiving a 911. The caller, Johnson’s husband, said his son (Eric Jordahl) killed his mother.

Jordahl allegedly admitted to going into his mother’s bedroom during the night. When she told him to go back to sleep, he allegedly punched her repeatedly. He then left, went upstairs, retrieved a butcher knife and went back to her room. Investigators stated Jordahl told them that he then stabbed her multiple times.

Reach Jeff Hage at jeff.hage@ecm-inc.com