ELK RIVER, MN – The quiet streets of Elk River were jolted by shocking violence after authorities discovered the brutal death of a 70-year-old man, a crime allegedly sparked by a bitter insult and tangled personal tensions within a shared home.
According to police, Brandon Rose, 49, now faces a second-degree murder charge after the body of William Canty Jr. was found hidden beneath a mound of laundry in their Fillmore Street residence. Investigators say Rose, gripped by rage after Canty reportedly taunted his girlfriend with a hurtful name, unleashed a fatal attack on his septuagenarian roommate.
Court documents reveal that the conflict escalated in the days leading up to the killing. Rose, angered by Canty’s comment aimed at his partner, sent her text messages filled with indignation. In one, he insisted that mocking others “is not human,” setting the stage for the deadly encounter that would soon follow.
Authorities say that on the morning of January 4, Rose phoned his girlfriend, his voice threaded with despair as he confessed to Canty’s death and disclosed his own suicide attempt. He described himself as a “dead man walking” before abruptly ending the call, only to later insist Canty was still alive even as he described plans to take his own life.
Alarmed, Rose’s girlfriend alerted law enforcement. Responding officers arrived at the home and found Canty’s lifeless body stashed beneath clothing in a bathroom. Nearby, blood-stained evidence—including a shower curtain and bathrobe belt—suggested a violent struggle had taken place.
Investigators found Rose unconscious in a bedroom, a needle protruding from his arm and blue dye conspicuously staining his hands and clothes. Several small couches were overturned, and a syringe containing a blue substance rested close by—identified later as methylene blue, a chemical compound.
Quick-thinking officers administered Narcan, reviving Rose as emergency personnel rushed onto the scene. As medical treatment began, authorities overheard Rose mention a sexually charged exchange with Canty preceding the assault. Rose reportedly claimed Canty had made explicit propositions, an allegation corroborated in subsequent interviews with Rose’s girlfriend and investigators.
Further examination revealed “blue dye” on Rose and on Canty’s body, as well as a bottle of methylene blue in Rose’s room, matching the color found at the scene. Rose suffered visible injuries, with swelling and bruising to his right hand detailed in the official report.
The investigation uncovered additional layers to the roommates’ fraught relationship. Rose’s girlfriend recounted several phone calls with him, during which he rambled about Canty’s death and his own failed attempts at self-harm. She described an earlier visit to their home, noting that while things initially appeared normal, Rose had confided that he felt threatened by Canty’s alleged advances.
As detectives pieced together the last days before Canty’s death, they learned of at least one previous altercation in which Rose claimed Canty, appearing intoxicated, had entered his bedroom and asked intrusive questions about his personal life.
Autopsy results painted a grim picture: Canty had suffered multiple rib fractures, a broken clavicle, neck injuries, and bleeding in the brain. The findings pointed to a violent and sustained assault.
Rose was taken into custody and formally charged in Sherburne County, where he now awaits arraignment without bond. Investigators continue to sort through the troubled dynamic between the two men, seeking to understand how resentment and accusation gave way to deadly violence.