Neighbors say the first sign of the killings was a group of frightened children running through the snow for help.
LEXINGTON, Minn. — The first witnesses to the aftermath of a Lexington double homicide were not investigators or paramedics but children who ran through the snow and pounded on a neighbor’s door, saying their mother and little brother had been shot.
That account has become central to how the case is understood because it captures both the violence inside the house and the split-second decisions that followed outside it. Authorities have identified the dead as 44-year-old Jennifer Sue Marsaw and her 5-year-old son, Marzai Andrew Dawson. Jennifer Marsaw’s estranged partner, Irving Van Marsaw, 53, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the March 18 killings.
Steven Clark, a neighbor on the block, told KSTP that he woke at about 12:54 a.m. to loud knocking and children pleading, “Please help us.” He said they were shaken and scared, and at least some had no shoes on in the cold. Clark said the children told him a man had shot their mother and little brother. He rushed them inside, locked the door and called 911. Later, he said he learned the children had passed other houses and chosen his because they knew his dogs barked loudly and would wake someone. “I’m glad I was here and was able to help them,” Clark said.
Investigators say the children’s path to that neighbor’s door began minutes earlier at the family home on Ryan Place. According to charging details reported by local outlets, one daughter told police she and two siblings had gone for a short walk outside after midnight. When they returned, they heard several pops. Her younger brother ran into the house just as Van Marsaw was coming out the front door with a handgun, the complaint says. The suspect paused, made eye contact, then moved away. Seconds later, the boy ran back out screaming that their mother and little brother had been shot. The group then fled for help.
When officers arrived, they found Jennifer Marsaw dead from a gunshot wound to the chest. Marzai Dawson, 5, was still breathing despite gunshot wounds and was taken to a hospital, where he later died. Authorities set a perimeter around the neighborhood and used a K-9 unit to search for the suspect. They arrested Van Marsaw at about 1:33 a.m. in a wooded area a few blocks west of the home. Investigators later recovered a 9 mm handgun nearby. Police said he made statements while in custody that suggested the shooting happened in the “heat of passion.”
The case file outlined by local media points to a conflict that had been building before the gunfire. A daughter told investigators Van Marsaw had assaulted Jennifer Marsaw and threatened to kill her. Court records also show that Jennifer Marsaw sought restraining orders in November 2025 and again in February 2026, alleging threats against herself and her children. Both orders were granted and later withdrawn. On March 17, according to the complaint, she had kicked him out after an argument involving a knife. The daughter said the last thing she heard her mother tell him that evening was that she was going to take him to trial.
For neighbors, the shooting broke the ordinary feel of a quiet street. One resident told KSTP that little ever happened on the cul-de-sac before the killings. Another local voice came from Tree of Life church, where pastor Troy Fields said the family should not have to face the aftermath alone. The church said it was preparing meals, prayer support and other help for surviving relatives. Those responses sit beside the official record but help explain why the case quickly moved from a police investigation to a community trauma story as well.
Medical examiners later concluded that Jennifer Marsaw was shot in the chest at contact range and that Dawson was shot in the back at contact range. Prosecutors charged Van Marsaw with two counts of second-degree murder, and county officials said the investigation remained active. His first court appearance was scheduled for March 20, with another hearing set for April 14.
Author note: Last updated April 13, 2026.