Waite Park Murder Suspect Indicted on First Degree Murder Charges

(KNSI) — The suspect accused of killing a Waite Park woman in February has been indicted on first and second-degree murder charges.

According to the Stearns County Attorney’s Office, Jarquez Javon Bedford used a kitchen knife to slash Andrea Cottew’s neck several times on February 5th. She was found dead in her apartment on February 6th after a welfare check was requested for the 52-year-old.

According to the criminal complaint, around noon the day Cottew was killed, Bedford knocked on a locked entry door, and Cottew answered and let him in the building. Survance video showed the two talking briefly and then walking together toward the door of the first-floor hallway. About an hour later, Bedford was seen on video leaving through the back door of the apartment building alone with his sweatshirt turned inside out. Investigators say over the next several hours, Bedford was seen coming and going from the apartment and used Cottew’s key fob for access.

Investigators found DNA on the knife handle, Cottew’s purse, a cigarette and knotted up sweatshirt found in a bedroom, and a marijuana blunt in the living room, which matched Bedford’s.

The 29-year-old was initially charged with second-degree murder. He was indicted by a Grand Jury on first-degree premeditated murder, first-degree murder during an aggravated robbery, and second-degree intentional murder.

During a Mirandized statement, police say Bedford provided multiple details about the case that were not generally known to the public. He denied committing a crime but stated someone he knew told him they had assaulted and robbed the woman. Investigators say Bedford’s statements changed repeatedly.

Bedford was arrested on February 14th for a probation violation following a 2018 felony conviction in Kansas. He has remained in custody since being held on $4 million unconditional bail.

He is due back in court on July 21st.

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