The complaint accuses Joseph David Bulfer of murder, attempted murder, assault, burglary and illegal firearm possession.
MANKATO, Minn. — Blue Earth County prosecutors charged Joseph David Bulfer with eight felonies after police say he entered a Mankato townhome with a rifle, killed one person and severely injured his former girlfriend.
The April 28 complaint lays out a case that joins murder allegations with burglary and firearm counts. Bulfer, 44, of Fairmont, is accused of killing Joshua Robert Downey, 52, and trying to kill Rosalyn Marie Rode, 37, on April 26 at a home on the 700 block of Castle Pines Drive. The complaint says the attack began in a bedroom and ended with Rode injured in a bathroom as officers arrived.
The top count is second-degree murder with intent but without premeditation. Under the charge, prosecutors allege Bulfer caused Downey’s death intentionally. A second count alleges attempted second-degree murder, accusing Bulfer of taking a substantial step toward killing Rode. Two assault counts follow, one for causing great bodily harm and one for using a dangerous weapon. A firearm count accuses him of possessing a gun or ammunition despite being barred because of a prior crime of violence. The final three counts are first-degree burglary, each based on a different legal theory. Prosecutors allege Bulfer entered an occupied dwelling without consent, possessed a dangerous weapon inside and assaulted a person in the building.
Each charge points back to the same Sunday afternoon sequence. Police were dispatched at about 1:35 p.m. after a caller reported a loud bang, a hole in a wall and possible gunfire from the other side of a townhome. While officers were on the way, dispatchers received another call from inside the residence. The complaint says a person reported being shot with an AR-15. Dispatchers then heard that the suspect remained inside, Downey was dead and Rode had been forced into the shower area. The information gave officers a live scene with at least one reported shooting victim and a suspect still in the home.
Officer Rick Wanderscheid said he and other officers entered through an open north-side door. They were clearing the ground floor when he heard a gunshot upstairs. Wanderscheid followed Officer Courtney Walker toward the sound. At the top landing, Walker, Wanderscheid and Sgt. Matt Huettl were calling out the layout when a door opened. Bulfer came into the hallway, the complaint says. Officers said he threw a rifle into a bedroom before raising his hands. He walked toward officers and was ordered to the floor. Minnesota State Patrol Sgt. Ryan Marthaler handcuffed him while officers continued working through the possibility that another suspect or more victims could be inside.
Bulfer’s comments at the scene are listed in the probable cause statement. When asked who else was there, he said Rode was in the bathroom and Downey was dead, using stronger language in the complaint. He later said, “I apologize for the inconvenience.” As officers walked him to a squad car, he said, “Hey sorry guys. Didn’t mean to get you out here today.” A medic asked if he needed care. The complaint says Bulfer did not appear physically hurt, declined medical attention and said he wanted to go to jail. The filing does not say whether he later answered investigators’ questions.
The complaint next describes the two victims and the evidence found around them. Marthaler located Rode in an attached bathroom, covered in blood, visibly scared and with her head down in the bathtub. She said her head and side hurt. He escorted her to a Mankato Fire Department member, and she was taken to Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato. In the bedroom, Marthaler saw Downey on the ground with obvious trauma and no sign of life. A fire department member checked him and found no pulse. The rifle was on the bed. Spent rifle rounds were scattered on the floor. Officers also saw holes in a wall that looked like bullet damage.
The medical evidence was severe. The provisional autopsy found six entrance gunshot wounds to Downey’s head and face, multiple entrance, exit and graze wounds to his torso, four entrance wounds to his right arm and shoulder, and a wound to his left forearm. Investigators recovered about 20 spent shell casings from the bedroom. Rode’s preliminary injuries included numerous bruises to her head and body, a head laceration, a collapsed lung and three to four broken ribs. The complaint says she was struck with the butt stock of the rifle and with an open hand. It does not list a final medical diagnosis or long-term prognosis.
Rode’s statement filled in the relationship history and the moments before police arrived. She told Agent Jeff Fischbach of the Minnesota Valley River Drug Task Force that she had dated Bulfer and ended the relationship in about December 2025. She said she later started dating Downey, and Bulfer could not handle it. On April 26, Bulfer wanted to talk, and Rode told him she planned to go to church and run errands. Later, she and Downey were watching a movie. Rode said her front door was locked and her garage door was shut. She heard the door open and footsteps running upstairs before Bulfer came into the bedroom and shot Downey.
Rode told investigators Bulfer blamed her for the shooting, put the gun to himself and made her look at Downey. He then hit her, took her into the bathroom and struck her in the head with the rifle, the complaint says. Rode said he ordered her into the bathtub so he could drain her blood. She told investigators she begged him to stop and said her children needed her. Bulfer then pointed the gun at himself and at her, and fired into the floor and wall, according to the complaint. She said she secretly called 911 and left the phone on under her body. Dispatchers captured parts of the assault and threats.
The complaint also adds context through Bulfer’s prior record. It says he has felony convictions for threats of violence, first-degree burglary and domestic assault by strangulation. Those convictions matter in the present case because prosecutors used them to support the count alleging unlawful firearm possession. The most serious charge, second-degree murder, carries a maximum sentence of 40 years. Attempted second-degree murder and first-degree assault each carry maximum sentences of 20 years. The burglary counts also carry possible 20-year maximum terms. The complaint states the maximum penalties, but any sentence would depend on convictions, sentencing rules and decisions by the court.
Judge Susan DeVos signed a finding of probable cause and an order of detention on April 28. The court file number is 07-CR-26-1684. Local reports said bail was set at $5 million with conditions or $10 million without conditions. Assistant County Attorney Todd Coryell approved the complaint, and the sworn statement was submitted by Samuel McGinnis. The court record says numerous reports were still outstanding when the complaint was filed, including reports from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Crime Scene Team. Prosecutors also noted the complaint may be supplemented.
The next stage will test the evidence behind each count. Prosecutors are expected to rely on the 911 audio, Rode’s hospital statement, the autopsy, the rifle, shell casings, crime scene reports and officers’ accounts from inside the home. The defense can challenge probable cause, seek discovery, question the admissibility of statements and ask the court to review bail or conditions. Bulfer is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. The public court record does not show a final outcome in the case.
The case remains active in Blue Earth County as investigators complete forensic reports and prosecutors decide whether to amend or add details to the complaint. The central court questions now are how the evidence will be admitted and how the eight charges will move toward later hearings.
Author note: Last updated May 22, 2026.