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Moorhead man arrested in connection to roommate’s poisoning
Stuart William Hanmer faces up to 40 years after allegedly poisoning roommate Cody Ernst with thallium, a banned toxic metal, leading to Ernst's death in June 2025.
- St. Cloud police arrested 35-year-old Stuart William Hanmer of Moorhead on September 3 for allegedly poisoning his roommate Cody Ray Ernst with thallium.
- The arrest followed a months-long, multi-agency investigation after Ernst, who lived with Hanmer at a St. Cloud sober living facility, died on June 22 from thallium poisoning complications.
- Investigators found evidence including internet searches on Hanmer's devices about thallium toxicity and purchase, online orders totaling 25 grams of thallium, and seized phones from a search warrant at his home.
- Hanmer was charged on September 5 in Stearns County with second-degree murder, facing up to 40 years in prison, while he remained in custody without official charges before the filing.
- The case raised community concern, with Ernst’s mother advising caution in trust and a family member stating, "We kind of want to know why. We got questions.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Duluth News Tribune
Moorhead man faces murder charge in fatal poisoning
ST. CLOUD — Stuart William Hanmer, 35, of Moorhead, is facing a second-degree intentional murder charge in the poisoning death of his St. Cloud roommate. Hanmer was charged in Stearns County Court on Friday, Sept. 5. Authorities say that Hanmer poisoned Cody Ernst, 33, of St. Cloud, Hanmer's roommate at Hope Recovery Living, a St. Cloud sober living house. Ernst lived at the facility for six months and Hanmer moved in on May 3, according to the …
Web searches, thallium purchases led to arrest of man accused of fatally poisoning housemate
Stuart Hanmer was arrested for murder in Moorhead this week. Court documents allege he bought thallium in April, then moved into a St. Cloud home in May and killed one of his housemates with it.
St. Cloud man who was poisoned suffered for weeks before death
ST. CLOUD — Cody Ernst was a gentle giant to his family and friends. His sister, Mariah Morgan, told St. Cloud LIVE that Ernst was a “big teddy bear.” Ernst, 33, grew up in north Minneapolis and moved to St. Cloud about six months ago to change his lifestyle and live at a sober living facility, Hope Recovery Living. “He made a decision for his daughter to go up to sober living, and he was doing really good," Morgan said. "He was a week into bein…
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