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One of the grizzliest trials to ever be heard in a Cook County courtroom came to an end last week when the jury found Robert Thomas West, 42, guilty of Accomplice After the Fact to Felony Murder and guilty on the charge of Interference with Dead Body or Scene of Death (conceal body) for his involvement in the disappearance of 34-year-old Richard Anthony Balsimo Jr. of St. Paul.
The trial ended on Wednesday, February 8.
The jury heard testimony from approximately 30 witnesses and received over 250 exhibits during the trial. It took four days to select a jury, and there were seven days of testimony.
Once the testimony ended, it took jurors less than an hour and a half to unanimously reach a verdict.
The case was originally charged in July 2021.
West is one of three codefendants charged for the death and dismemberment of Ricky Balsimo in the case. The final codefendant, whose case remains unresolved, is set for trial this summer.
The family of the victim, including his parents and siblings, observed the entire trial.
The next step is sentencing. A sentencing date is not yet set, but it will probably be in March, said Cook County Attorney Molly Hicken. “At the sentencing hearing, the family and others connected to the victim will have an opportunity to give a victim impact statement before the judge orders a sentence,” added Hicken.
West was one of three charged in the murder and dismemberment of Balsimo in June of 2021.
The victim was last seen in St. Paul on June 20, 2021. Divers found Balisimo’s remains in Lake Superior off of the shore of Grand Portage on July 15 and July 16 in two five-gallon buckets and a large tote filled with cement and body parts
Also charged in the case are Jacob Col Johnson, 35, of Superior, Wisconsin, charged with intentional second-degree murder, and Tommi Lyn Hintz, 32, who has already pled guilty to being an accomplice after the fact for the killing and dismemberment of Balsimo’s body.
Richard (Ricky) Anthony Balisimo Jr. of St. Paul was reported missing by his family in late June 2021. When authorities failed to locate Balismo, his family hired private investigators who found information that he was likely a victim of homicide. On July 15-16, officers found the dismembered remains of Balismo in cement-weighted buckets off the Lake Superior shore of Grand Portage.
According to alleged statements by Hintz, she told West she knew a commercial fisherman in Grand Portage. Both West and Hintz drove the remains of Balisimo to Grand Portage, where West told the boat captain that he wanted to dispose of a large tote and two five-gallon buckets into the lake.
After the trial, Cook County Attorney Molly Hicken said,
“With its guilty verdicts on both counts, the jury confirmed that Robert West was justly accused of Accomplice to Felony Murder and Concealing a Dead Body and should face a consequence,” said Hicken. “While this is the best conclusion we could have for this trial, it is still difficult to call it a “win” when the family of Ricky Balsimo has lost a son, a brother, and a father.
“Staff and leadership from the Cook County Sheriff ’s Office were generous with their time and attention over the course of the 2 ½ week trial, ensuring the safety and security of all courthouse occupants during a serious, high stakes, and at times emotional trial. We are thankfully unaccustomed to hosting murder trials at our courthouse, but you wouldn’t know it based upon the professionalism and courtesy local law enforcement displayed. All involved parties, including the Honorable Judge Cuzzo, expressed their thanks for this critical component of a just system.”
Hicken added, “Assistance from the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office was essential given the resources required by this prosecution. I am grateful for the impressive skill and hard work of my co-counsel, Assistant Attorney General Dan Vlieger. Earlier acknowledgments of the immense investigative efforts of law enforcement, including the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Douglas County Sheriff ’s Office, left out kudos for a private investigative firm called Applied Professional Services (Duluth, MN), which helped to break this case. Tom Crossmon and Crossmon Consulting, and Assistance from the St. Louis County Sheriff ’s Office and Superior Police Department/Douglas County dive team, were also critical to locating and recovering the victim’s body.”
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