The criminal complaint says Javontae Deshawn Simms changed his account after police found him hidden in the basement.
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Hennepin County prosecutors charged a 23-year-old man with two counts of second-degree murder after police said he fatally stabbed his brother during a kitchen dispute inside a north Minneapolis home.
The filing against Javontae Deshawn Simms turns a predawn domestic call into a felony murder case that could carry decades in prison. Prosecutors allege Simms grabbed a knife, stabbed his brother once in the chest and then hid beneath the basement stairs. Simms remained in custody on a $1 million bond, with the first court steps beginning in early May.
The charges were filed May 1, one day after police were dispatched to a home on the 3000 block of Girard Avenue North. The complaint says officers responded at about 3:06 a.m. to a reported stabbing. The caller, later identified as the victim’s girlfriend, said her boyfriend had been stabbed by his brother. When officers entered, they found the victim lying on the kitchen floor with a chest wound. The girlfriend was holding cloth to the wound while waiting for emergency care. Officers tried lifesaving measures until paramedics arrived. The victim was pronounced dead at 3:32 a.m., less than 30 minutes after the reported dispatch time.
The legal case begins with two murder theories. One count accuses Simms of second-degree murder with intent but without premeditation. That means prosecutors do not need to prove the killing was planned in advance, but they must prove intent to cause death. The second count alleges second-degree murder without intent while committing a felony. That theory focuses on a death caused during another serious offense. Each count is a felony, and second-degree murder under Minnesota law can carry a maximum sentence of 40 years. The filing does not mean Simms has been convicted, and he is presumed innocent unless the state proves its case.
The complaint names the witnesses whose statements form the core of the probable cause account. The victim’s girlfriend told investigators that she lived at the home with the victim and Simms. She said she and the victim had made food and were eating in the kitchen when Simms entered and became upset that his brother had not cleaned up. Another woman in the home told police she heard Simms say, “If you don’t start cleaning up after yourself, it’s going to be an issue between you and me.” Both women described an argument that quickly escalated beyond words. The complaint says Simms went downstairs, returned with a knife, shoved his brother and joined in a physical fight.
The state’s account says the women saw Simms holding a bloody knife after the altercation. The victim said that Simms had stabbed him, according to their statements. Police said the victim was not armed. The complaint says a knife was recovered from the kitchen area. The victim’s public identity had not been released in early reports, and officials had not publicly given his age. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner was expected to complete the formal death review. The early charging account describes one chest wound, with emergency responders unable to revive the victim at the scene.
The complaint also details what police said Simms did after the stabbing. Officers searched the home and found him in the basement, beneath a staircase. Investigators said a panel had been propped up to create a blind spot where he could hide. That detail may matter at later hearings because prosecutors can argue it shows consciousness of guilt, while defense lawyers may press for a fuller picture of his state of mind after a sudden family fight. No report indicated that Simms called 911 or tried to help his brother after the stabbing. Police said the girlfriend was the person applying pressure to the wound when officers arrived.
Simms’ interview with investigators may become one of the most contested parts of the case. Police said he was read his Miranda rights and agreed to speak. According to the complaint, he first claimed he could not remember much and said he had blacked out. He then gave an account that the victim came at him with a knife and was accidentally stabbed during a struggle. Investigators said Simms later admitted grabbing the knife first and said the victim was not armed. In another account reported by police, Simms said he intended to “fake” stab his brother and that his brother ran into the knife. Those statements give prosecutors a path to argue shifting explanations and give the defense material to argue confusion, panic or lack of intent.
Bond was set at $1 million, placing Simms in jail while the case moved into Hennepin County District Court. His court schedule was expected to start with a May 4 appearance. Early hearings often address whether a defendant has counsel, whether bail or release conditions will change, and when the next hearing will occur. Later proceedings could include discovery, motions over statements to police, forensic evidence, witness interviews and plea discussions. If the case proceeds toward trial, jurors could be asked to decide whether the stabbing was intentional murder, felony murder, a lesser offense or not proved beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case also leaves several public unknowns. Authorities had not released the victim’s name in the first accounts, and the court record did not publicly explain how long the brothers had lived together in Minneapolis. Records listed Simms as having an address in Chicago, while witnesses said he lived at the Girard Avenue North home. Police have not publicly described the knife in detail, released autopsy results or said whether there were prior calls to the home. The charging complaint instead focuses on the minutes around the kitchen argument, the witness statements and the basement arrest.
The next phase belongs to the court, where prosecutors must support the charges beyond the initial probable cause filing. Simms remained jailed on the $1 million bond, and the victim’s family faced the case’s slow move from emergency response to formal prosecution.
Author note: Last updated May 24, 2026.