St. Paul: Apparent homicide investigated

Police found a 38-year-old man unresponsive on a porch in St. Paul overnight and are investigating his death as an apparent homicide.

Officers and paramedics were called on an assault report to a residence in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood, on Lawson Avenue near Walsh Street, just before 1:40 a.m. Monday, March 19, police spokesman Howie Padilla said. Police believe someone in the area, possibly a resident, made the call. The man was found on a front porch in the 700 block of East Lawson Avenue.

A home at 763 Lawson Ave. E. was marked by police tape around 5:45 a.m.

On Feb. 22, prosecutors charged Andrew William Braun, 38, of St. Paul with first-degree drug possession. His address on the criminal complaint was the same address as the police-cordoned house.

Police executed a search warrant at the house Nov. 10, according to a police incident report. Officers found methamphetamine, seven firearms and cash, the report said.

Ninety-eight grams of meth was found hidden in the doorframe of an upstairs bathroom at the home, the complaint said.

As for the homicide, "investigators are working to determine what took place in the moments and hours leading up to his death," Padilla said in a written statement. "There is no known motive or suspect information at this time."

Police have identified the man preliminarily but were working with the Ramsey County medical examiner's office to confirm the identity, along with establishing his cause of death, Padilla

said.

Investigators believe the man lived at the home where he was found, he said. However, Padilla declined to confirm the exact location.

It's unknown how long the man was on the porch before police were called, but Padilla said investigators believe the incident occurred overnight.

Padilla declined to say why police believe it is a homicide. He noted the investigation is "just a few hours old."

It's unknown whether anyone else was at the home at the time of the incident.

Emily Gurnon contributed to this report. Mara H. Gottfried can be reached at 651-228-5262. Follow her at twitter.com/MaraGottfried or twitter.com/ppUsualSuspects. Brady Gervais can be reached at 651-228-5513. Follow her at twitter.com/bgervais.

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