Stacey Benjamin Cotter, son of Richard Adrian Cotter, was arrested at 2:30 a.

Saturday, February 17, 2001

Stacey Benjamin Cotter, son of Richard Adrian Cotter, was arrested at 2:30 a.m. on Saturday for allegedly killing his father. This was just one day after Mower County Sheriff Barry Simonson revealed that the fire that destroyed Richard Cotter’s rural Austin home was probably set in the basement of the home to cover up the killings of Cotter and Mary F. McIntyre.

Stacey Cotter, 23, was the adopted son – one of five adopted children – of Richard Cotter. He was arrested at a treatment facility in Minneapolis for the killings. Simonson said Stacey Cotter is being held at the Hennepin County Jail and will be brought to Austin early this week to appear in court for arraignment on the charge of probable cause second-degree murder.

"The arrest was a result of a cooperative effort between the (Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension), Austin Police Department, BCA Crime Lab, Mower County Sheriff’s Department, State Fire Marshal’s Office and Mower County Attorney’s Office," Simonson said.

At 5:14 a.m. on Feb. 15, the day after Richard Cotter’s 73rd birthday, Austin Fire Department and Mower County Sheriff authorities responded to 2919 16th Ave. SW, after Thomas Branden, a neighbor, saw a "strange glow" from Cotter’s residence and called 911.

Upon arrival, Cotter and McIntyre were found dead in the house. According to the statement released on Friday, "the State Fire Marshal and Mower County Sheriff’s Office treated this incident as a potential crime scene and took appropriate action based on that possibility."

Simonson said an Austin couple contacted Fire Chief Dan Wilson to say they saw a fire burning in the early morning hours of Feb. 14, but assumed it was a "farmer burning trash." That information helped investigators to better pinpoint the time the fire was set.

"We believe this fire started one to two hours before it was discovered," said Simonson. He said the extent of the damage to the property is not usually seen unless a fire burns for a long time.

On Friday afternoon, Simonson held a press conference to release the following statement to the press: "Autopsies have determined that Richard (A. Cotter) died as a result of homicidal violence and Mary (F. McIntyre) died from the same."

With this information, it was clear the investigation of a tragic fire had turned a corner to a more sinister road.

Determination of the cause of death was the result of autopsies conducted by Dr. McGee of the Ramsey County Coroner’s office, Simonson said. The results show Richard Cotter was stabbed to death. The cause of McIntyre’s death is still under investigation.

McIntyre, of Baltimore, Md., was a friend of Cotter’s from when he was in the military; she had recently become reacquainted with him. Cotter served in the Air Force from 1954 to 1957, flying missions for the Strategic Air Command.

He was a retired attorney – of the law firm Leighton, Meany, Cotter and Enger – and an Austin native. He also was a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Notre Dame Law School and practiced law in Austin, while farming acreage that had been in his family for 125 years with his brother, KAUS’s Mike Cotter.

Early on Friday, before the announcement of the shift in the investigation, Mike Cotter, who described Richard as his hero, said of him, "I know if he’d had a chance, he would have escaped."

On Friday afternoon, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension officials were at the scene, using a quarter-inch screen to sift through debris in a search for possible evidence. During the search, BCA agents believe they found the murder weapon. Authorities are not reporting a motive for the crime and have not released specifics of the murder weapon.

Through a press conference held on Friday, authorities working on the case called on the media to inform the public of the need for information about the crime.

Simonson asked the public to call his office with any information regarding suspicious activity near the residence from 11 p.m. on Feb. 14 to 6 a.m. on Feb. 15. Though an arrest has been made, anyone with additional information about the crime or activity in the area during the time in question should call the Mower County Sheriff’s Office at (507) 437-9400.

On Saturday, Simonson said no additional arrests are expected, but the investigation is continuing.

"It’s a real tragedy," Simonson said. "Dick was known and loved by a lot of people."