Officials: Man decapitated acquaintance he suspected of rape

MINNEAPOLIS – A northern Minnesota man is accused of decapitating another man after his girlfriend told him that the man had sexually assaulted her.

Thirty-five-year-old Joseph Thoresen is charged with murder. According to charges in Itasca County, Thoresen ambushed 20-year-old David Haiman of Hibbing along a road in Deer River.

The complaint says Thoresen hit Haiman with a baseball bat and stabbed him in the back and abdomen before decapitating him with a machete and throwing his head into the woods.

Authorities found Haiman’s torso and head Sunday morning.

The complaint says Thoresen’s girlfriend told authorities he was upset when she told him Haiman had sexually assaulted her in the couple’s apartment.

Court records don’t list an attorney for Thoresen. He was making his initial court appearance Wednesday.