Topline: A woman found her boyfriend dead in their shared home after overnight calls about a fight with her brother over a cat.
Published: September 9, 2026 7:04 am ET
Shawn Fletcher
Committed to the craft of journalism and am driven by my desire to inform and inspire.
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Steven Stahlberg (Courtesy photo)
MONTICELLO, MN — A Monticello man faces murder charges in the fatal shooting of his sister’s boyfriend after an alleged dispute over their household’s new cat.
Steven Ralph Stahlberg, 47, faces two second-degree murder counts in Daniel Lawrence Ferdelman’s death, FOX 9 reported, citing a Wright County criminal complaint.
Ferdelman’s girlfriend called 911 at 7:27 a.m. Sept. 3 after returning from work. Ferdelman, 57, lay dead, face up in a blood-covered bed, with spatter on nearby walls.
According to the complaint, Ferdelman called her around 12:15 a.m.: Stahlberg had barricaded himself with the cat, emerged, exchanged pushes with Ferdelman, then retreated with the animal. Ferdelman described him as drunk and belligerent and warned another confrontation could cause injury.
She recalled another call between 2 and 3 a.m. reporting Stahlberg entering Ferdelman’s room and fighting. However, FOX 9 reported surveillance showing a man leaving in a pickup consistent with Stahlberg’s Toyota Tundra at 1:18 a.m. Its account does not reconcile those times.
KNSI reported that deputies responded to 9127 State Highway 25 Northeast. The three lived together; Stahlberg’s sister feared he might next target their father in Remer. Wright and Cass county deputies and Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agents searched statewide.
Cass County deputies arrested Stahlberg around 9:45 a.m. near Remer. FOX 9 reported a shotgun beneath a windshield sunshade on his truck’s passenger floor, loaded with slugs and birdshot.
According to FOX 9, the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide: a chest shotgun wound damaged Ferdelman’s right lung and severed his aorta. Examiners recovered plastic-wad and slug fragments. His plea and representation were unclear in that report.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Monticello Man Charged With Killing Sister’s Boyfriend After Cat Dispute
A woman found her boyfriend dead in their shared home after overnight calls about a fight with her brother over a cat.
By Shawn Fletcher
Published: September 9, 2026 7:04 am ET
Steven Stahlberg (Courtesy photo)
MONTICELLO, MN — A Monticello man faces murder charges in the fatal shooting of his sister’s boyfriend after an alleged dispute over their household’s new cat.
Steven Ralph Stahlberg, 47, faces two second-degree murder counts in Daniel Lawrence Ferdelman’s death, FOX 9 reported, citing a Wright County criminal complaint.
Ferdelman’s girlfriend called 911 at 7:27 a.m. Sept. 3 after returning from work. Ferdelman, 57, lay dead, face up in a blood-covered bed, with spatter on nearby walls.
According to the complaint, Ferdelman called her around 12:15 a.m.: Stahlberg had barricaded himself with the cat, emerged, exchanged pushes with Ferdelman, then retreated with the animal. Ferdelman described him as drunk and belligerent and warned another confrontation could cause injury.
She recalled another call between 2 and 3 a.m. reporting Stahlberg entering Ferdelman’s room and fighting. However, FOX 9 reported surveillance showing a man leaving in a pickup consistent with Stahlberg’s Toyota Tundra at 1:18 a.m. Its account does not reconcile those times.
KNSI reported that deputies responded to 9127 State Highway 25 Northeast. The three lived together; Stahlberg’s sister feared he might next target their father in Remer. Wright and Cass county deputies and Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agents searched statewide.
Cass County deputies arrested Stahlberg around 9:45 a.m. near Remer. FOX 9 reported a shotgun beneath a windshield sunshade on his truck’s passenger floor, loaded with slugs and birdshot.
According to FOX 9, the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide: a chest shotgun wound damaged Ferdelman’s right lung and severed his aorta. Examiners recovered plastic-wad and slug fragments. His plea and representation were unclear in that report.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Monticello Man Charged With Killing Sister’s Boyfriend After Cat Dispute
A woman found her boyfriend dead in their shared home after overnight calls about a fight with her brother over a cat.
By Shawn Fletcher
Published: September 9, 2026 7:04 am ET
Steven Stahlberg (Courtesy photo)
MONTICELLO, MN — A Monticello man faces murder charges in the fatal shooting of his sister’s boyfriend after an alleged dispute over their household’s new cat.
Steven Ralph Stahlberg, 47, faces two second-degree murder counts in Daniel Lawrence Ferdelman’s death, FOX 9 reported, citing a Wright County criminal complaint.
Ferdelman’s girlfriend called 911 at 7:27 a.m. Sept. 3 after returning from work. Ferdelman, 57, lay dead, face up in a blood-covered bed, with spatter on nearby walls.
According to the complaint, Ferdelman called her around 12:15 a.m.: Stahlberg had barricaded himself with the cat, emerged, exchanged pushes with Ferdelman, then retreated with the animal. Ferdelman described him as drunk and belligerent and warned another confrontation could cause injury.
She recalled another call between 2 and 3 a.m. reporting Stahlberg entering Ferdelman’s room and fighting. However, FOX 9 reported surveillance showing a man leaving in a pickup consistent with Stahlberg’s Toyota Tundra at 1:18 a.m. Its account does not reconcile those times.
KNSI reported that deputies responded to 9127 State Highway 25 Northeast. The three lived together; Stahlberg’s sister feared he might next target their father in Remer. Wright and Cass county deputies and Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agents searched statewide.
Cass County deputies arrested Stahlberg around 9:45 a.m. near Remer. FOX 9 reported a shotgun beneath a windshield sunshade on his truck’s passenger floor, loaded with slugs and birdshot.
According to FOX 9, the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide: a chest shotgun wound damaged Ferdelman’s right lung and severed his aorta. Examiners recovered plastic-wad and slug fragments. His plea and representation were unclear in that report.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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