Jennifer Sue Marsaw — Allegedly shot dead by estranged partner

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Summary: Jennifer Sue Marsaw, 44, and her son Marzai Andrew Dawson, 5, were fatally shot in their Lexington, Minnesota home on March 18. Irving Van Marsaw, 53, her estranged partner, is accused of the double homicide after they argued the day before. He was arrested hiding in a wooded area nearby after the older children heard gunfire and called 911. He faces two counts of second-degree murder. Irving Van Marsaw is not the biological father of Marzai Andrew Dawson, reports say.

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LEXINGTON, Minn. — A 5-year-old boy and his mother lost their lives to gunfire in their Lexington home in the predawn hours of March 18.

The victims were identified as Marzai Andrew Dawson and Jennifer Sue Marsaw, 44. Dawson was transported to a hospital but did not survive injuries from a gunshot wound to the back fired at close range. Marsaw died at the scene from a similar gunshot wound to the chest.

The incident followed a period of tension the day prior. An argument involving a knife prompted Marsaw to ask her estranged partner to vacate the residence. In a phone conversation that evening, she told him she intended to move forward with trial proceedings. His reply was “Bet” before he ended the call.

Around 12:44 a.m., three older children stepped out for a short walk from the home on the 9300 block of Ryan Place. Returning several minutes later, they heard multiple popping sounds. One sibling saw the suspect leave the front door carrying a handgun and pause to make eye contact with a brother who then entered the house. The children quickly sought safety at a neighboring house and placed a call to 911 at 12:52 a.m.

Law enforcement officers found the mother deceased inside the residence. The boy was rushed for medical treatment but succumbed to his wounds.

Irving Van Marsaw, 53, the estranged partner, was located hiding in a wooded area a short distance away with help from a K-9 unit and taken into custody at 1:33 a.m. Investigators recovered a 9mm handgun from the woods along his escape route.

He has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder and is scheduled for an initial court appearance Friday.

The relationship between the couple had included earlier reports of threats against Marsaw and her children as well as physical abuse.

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