Defense Files Mental Illness Notice in 2023 St. Cloud Murder Case

(KNSI) – A young man accused of intentionally running down a 70-year-old pedestrian in St. Cloud in 2023 plans to argue he is innocent at trial due to mental illness or cognitive impairment.

Attorney Jason Steck filed a notice of defenses on Tuesday in Stearns County District Court on behalf of 19-year-old Israel Muyaya Madimba. The notice states that Madimba will enter a not guilty plea, arguing that the nature of his impairment made it impossible for him to form the intent required for the charges.

Madimba is charged with first-degree premeditated murder, intentional second-degree murder, and vehicle theft.

The criminal complaint says on April 21st, 2023, Madimba called 911 and told dispatchers he had run someone over. He admitted to officers he had taken a vehicle key from a locker at the St. Cloud Area Family YMCA, went to the parking lot, found the vehicle, and drove off.

Madimba told investigators he was listening to a song about murder when he saw Norbert Olmscheid walking near the intersection of 6th and 9th Avenues. According to the criminal complaint, Olmscheid had his back to the car, so Madimba slowed down, positioned the vehicle, and stepped on the gas.

Olmscheid was taken to CentraCare – St. Cloud Hospital, where he died.
Madimba was 16 at the time of the crash and has been held in custody since his arrest. The case was delayed for more than two years while courts evaluated his competency to stand trial. A third Rule 20 competency exam in spring 2025 cleared the way for the case to move forward.

His next court date hasn’t been set.

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