Daughter of Minnesota governor candidate Jeff Johnson stabbed to death in St. Cloud
ST. CLOUD, Minn. — A 22-year-old St. Cloud woman stabbed to death Saturday has been identified as Hallie Marie Tobler, according to the St. Cloud Police Department.
Tobler is the daughter of former St. Cloud City Council member and 2026 Republican gubernatorial candidate Jeff Johnson, who announced early Monday that he is suspending his campaign, according to the Republican Party of Minnesota.
The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office, which performed an autopsy on Tobler’s body, determined that her injuries were consistent with multiple stab wounds.
A man found injured at the scene has been identified as Hallie’s husband, 23-year-old Dylan Michael Tobler, also of St. Cloud. According to online court records, the two got married in November 2021.
In a January appearance in Stearns County District Court, Dylan Tobler pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, a petty misdemeanor, stemming from a June 2025 incident in which he choked Hallie Tobler.
Based on the investigation, Dylan is believed to be the person responsible for Hallie’s injuries and death, as well as his own injuries. Dylan remains at the St. Cloud Hospital in stable condition, where he is in police custody.
Officers responded at 8:20 p.m. Saturday to the 3100 block of 40th Avenue South for a report of a medical emergency. Upon arrival, they found the couple together in their locked apartment. The woman was dead and the man had “life-threatening injuries,” according to initial reports.
When Dylan Tobler is released from the hospital, he will be transported to the Stearns County Jail, where he will be held on charges related to the homicide, according to police. Hallie Tobler’s death is believed to be the first homicide in St. Cloud in 2026 after five were reported last year.
Johnson, Hallie’s father, served on the City Council from 2010-19. He received 139 votes in last week’s Republican caucus straw poll for governor. Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth led the caucus with 5,827 votes, followed by Kendall Qualls with 4,624 and Mike Lindell with 3,235.