Iron Range man pleads guilty to murdering elderly couple

VIRGINIA — A formerly homeless Iron Range man pleaded guilty Wednesday to killing two elderly Babbitt residents who had taken him into their home.

Roger Allen Beldo, 54, entered the pleas to two counts of intentional second-degree murder in the fatal assaults of Clifford Johnson, 78, and Christine Johnson, 79, last October.

“Clifford Johnson was in his garage about to take me away from the house after I loaded my belongings into his vehicle,” the defendant acknowledged in a plea petition. “I struck him multiple times in the back and in the head with a heavy metal rod, intending to kill him, and I did cause his death.”

He added: “I also went into the Johnsons’ house, next to the garage, where I struck Christine Johnson multiple times in the head with a metal hammer, intending to kill her, and I did cause her death.”

Beldo is expected to be sentenced to 46 ⅓ years in prison under an agreement with the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office.

In exchange for the plea, prosecutors agreed not to seek a grand jury indictment for premeditated first-degree murder — a charge that would carry mandatory life incarceration without the possibility of parole.

Still, the agreement may effectively amount to a life sentence, as Beldo would be in his mid-80s before he would have any opportunity for supervised release.

Judge Michelle Anderson scheduled sentencing for Aug. 5.

“While a guilty plea is an essential step towards legal closure and accountability, we recognize that it will not mitigate the emotional pain or lessen the sense of loss experienced by the loved ones of Clifford and Christine Johnson,” County Attorney Kim Maki said in a statement. “Our thoughts go out to them.”

According to court documents:

Beldo called 911 multiple times from the emergency room at Essentia Health-St. Mary's Medical Center in Duluth around 11:15 p.m. Oct. 28, saying he had done some "really bad things."

A Duluth police officer found Beldo in a nearby parking lot, reporting he smelled of alcohol, had slurred speech and bloodshot, watery eyes. The defendant stated he needed to go to jail and went on to indicate he had killed someone.

When asked for clarification, Beldo initially refused, telling the officer he "would figure it out" and "needed to do his job" while continuing to insist that he should be taken to jail. Eventually, he admitted to killing his two roommates and said they would be found at 38 Fir Circle in Babbitt.

Beldo went on to give a name and said one victim would be found in the garage while another would be in the house. The officer also noted there were apparent dried blood stains on the defendant's clothing and red specks on his white shoes.

When asked what he used to kill the victims, Beldo said a tire iron and hammer, adding "mother on the bed" and "father in the garage." Asked how he got to Duluth, he admitted taking the Johnsons' car after killing them.

A Babbitt police officer was sent to the home, shining a flashlight through the garage and immediately seeing Clifford Johnson on the floor. Officers forced entry and found Christine Johnson on a bed. Both were pronounced dead from significant head trauma.

A crowbar was later found in a storage room in the garage, while a hammer was located on a porch.

The victims' Nissan Rogue was discovered near 23rd Avenue West and First Street in Duluth, with several drops of apparent blood seen on the exterior. Beldo was still in possession of the keys.

In a statement at the time, Beldo said he had “no car and no income, besides food stamps.” He claimed the victims “wanted his Section 8 voucher after he was approved, and that the victims were taking his food stamps.”

A granddaughter of the Johnsons told an investigator Beldo had been living with them for at least a month.

In entering the guilty pleas, Beldo said he has undergone treatment at various points in his life for anxiety, stress, post-traumatic stress, depression and substance-use disorders, among other diagnoses.

However, he said he was thinking clearly and understood the charges against him — a determination that was also made after he underwent a court-ordered mental health evaluation late last year.

The proposed sentence calls for the court to impose guideline sentences of 295 and 261 months. The terms will be served consecutively, as permissible under state regulations because they involve separate victims.