Mankato stabbing suspect officially charged; bail set at $4 million

(ABC 6 News) – The man arrested in connection to a deadly stabbing at a Mankato Kwik Trip has been officially charged with murder on Thursday.

RELATED: UPDATE: Suspect in fatal Mankato stabbing booked into jail

Michael Miller, 28, is charged with 2nd degree murder with intent but not premediated, which is a felony, in Blue Earth County court.

The judge set his bail at $4,000,000.

This bail, which is unusually high, was set for a number of reasons according to the court. This includes the severity of the alleged crime, the defendant allegedly threatening to cause physical harm to himself or others and that this crime carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.

According to law enforcement, the victim, 34-year-old Dennis Vosika, suffered 43 stab wounds before he was found unresponsive on the floor of the Kwik Trip where he worked Tuesday morning.

Court documents state that around 3 a.m. Tuesday, a witness called 911 for an individual breaking stuff inside the store before the call was disconnected.

The witness later told police that a man, who they identified as Miller, had a large knife and was eating meat inside the store. When he told the individual to pay for the items, Vosika, a Kwik Trip employee, told the witness to call police. The witness then went to the back room to “collect images of Millere to provide to law enforcement.” Once back there with the door locked, court documents say the individual began hitting the glass on the door with his head until it broke. That is when the witness says they left the business and called 911.

Court documents also say that after the individual used the knife to open the food from the store’s fridge, he walked behind the counter and confronted Vosika, before throwing him to the ground and stabbing him multiple times. It goes on to say he left the business on foot.

Law enforcement found Vosika with stab wounds to his neck, head, back and leg. Vosika was later declared deceased at the hospital.

Miller reportedly told police that “God told [me]” to go to the store that night and voices told him that he “needs to destroy and burn everything down.”

According to police, Miller said that he “wasn’t going to knife the guy at first. I was just going to set it on fire, the place on fire.” Miller allegedly later said that when Vosika tried to grab the knife, he started stabbing him. Police claim he said “I smiled for some reason because apparently something was working, but when he tried to escape from me…that was a no for me. So I just, he tried to defend himself, but I got him.”

Miller told police he did not remember using the knife. Police recovered a knife inside a dumpster where Miller claimed he threw it. Court documents say it was bent at the point and “covered in apparent blood.”

Detectives say they found similar knives to the one in the dumpster inside Miller’s home, suspected blood in several locations including in Miller’s bedroom, the dining area, the living area, and the stairwell in the garage.

Miller’s next court appearance is set for April 3, at 1:30 p.m.