Man indicted on murder charges in death of man found stuffed in garbage can

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Murder charges in death of man found in garbage can

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(KSTP) — A Hennepin County grand jury has brought murder charges against a man suspected of killing someone and stuffing him in a garbage can last year in Minneapolis.

Miguel Araiza Ugalde, 31, faces counts of first- and second-degree murder in connection with the death of 51-year-old Reid Christopher Johnson. The grand jury first returned the indictment on July 25, but it remained under seal until this week.

As previously reported, real estate agent Josh Fredrickson was preparing a home on the 700 block of 30th Avenue North for an open house when he and the homeowner discovered the bulky trash bin with Johnson’s body inside, wrapped in a blue tarp.

“I went and pulled back the tarp and I see a foot, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, Bill, there’s a dead body in here.’ He’s like, ‘Josh, quit joking,’” Fredrickson told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS last year.

An autopsy determined Johnson had died by homicide and was shot multiple times.

Court records show Ugalde was sentenced to 146 months in federal prison last August after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.

He has been in the custody of various agencies — including the U.S. Marshals Service — since March, but current records indicate he is being held at the Hennepin County Jail on $1.5 million bail.

An omnibus hearing in the murder case is set for Feb. 24.