Owatonna murder suspect arrested Sunday morning

By KAALTV

Owatonna Police - Jason Homer

(ABC 6 News) — Police arrested 38-year-old Jason Horner early Sunday morning in connection with the murder of 25-year-old Sabrina Schnoor.

The arrest happened just after 4:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 4. The Owatonna Police Department, along with the South-Central Drug Investigative Unit SWAT team, the Waseca Police Department, and the River Valley SWAT team executed a search warrant at 300 15th Ave in Waseca, where they arrested Horner.

Horner is now facing charges of 2nd-degree murder, and possession of a firearm by an ineligible person.

Horner has a lengthy criminal history, including convictions for drugs, domestic assault, burglary, and violating a restraining order.

Schnoor was found on with a single gunshot wound on May 30 under the I-35 bridge overpass in Owatonna. Her death was ruled a homicide.

According to a criminal complaint, Horner was Schnoor’s ex-boyfriend.

That criminal complaint also states that Schnoor had told a friend that she wanted a gun to protect herself from Horner, later indicating that it was because Horner had a gun and she would feel safer with one.

Schnoor even shared her location at her friend’s request via an app called Life360 on the night of Monday, 29, while she went to meet up with Horner. The complaint says that Schnoor’s friend warned her not to see Horner’s home because of past physical abuse and even Horner previously telling Schnoor he would kill her. Schnoor wanted to see Horner because she believed that he was going to prison.

According to the complaint, the last time Schnoor’s friend had seen any movement on Life360 from Schnoor was just before 10 p.m. Monday night.

The complaint states that just after 8 p.m. on Tuesday, a friend sent a group text asking if anyone had heard from Schnoor, but nobody had. The individuals in the group text decided to go to Schnoor’s last location on the Life360 app and shortly after, Schnoor was found dead.

The criminal complaint states that Horner is believed to be the last person to have in-person contact with Schnoor.

Officers gathered surveillance video from Casey’s General Store on State Avenue as well as exterior surveillance video from local businesses, the complaint says. Casey’s is approximately a half mile from where Schnoor’s body was located. According to the complaint, officers put together a timeline from surveillance video from Monday night.

The complaint states that officers say Schnoor and Horner talking inside of the gas station at 9:35 p.m. Horner and Schnoor leave the store a few minutes later. According to the complaint, multiple surveillance videos in the area show Schnoor and Horner together walking west on the railroad tracks with Horner pushing Schnoor in the head, before they are seen going under the overpass together.

According to the complaint, Horner later is seen walking out from under the overpass alone. It also states that Horner is seen walking back under the overpass. Then, one hour later, Horner is seen emerging from
under the overpass alone for the final time.

Officers say in the criminal complaint that they met with other witnesses who say that Horner seemed “off” and “knew that he had done something, but he did not go into detail about what.”

A search warrant was executed on Horner’s residence that he shared with Angela Herplinck, which revealed clothing Horner was seen wearing in the gathered surveillance video with a dark-colored liquid on them according to the complaint.

Investigators say that Schnoor was missing her jawbone, and bone fragments and teeth were scattered around the scene. They did not find a firearm there.

Police are calling Schnoor’s death a targeted attack.

Anyone with information on the case should contact the Owatonna Police Department at 507-444-3800.