Leon Henry Anderson Pleads Guilty to Brutal Richfield Murder

Leon Henry Anderson pleaded guilty to to the brutal murder of an elderly Richfield man and the attempted murder of the man’s wife, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office reported Thursday.

As previously reported by Patch, Richard Webb, 79, was found dead in his Richfield home on the 7300 block of Elliot Avenue March 2, 2012.

Investigators reported that Webb suffered many cuts and died of “complex homicidal violence.” His wife Toni Gail Jackson was also found in the home with her throat cut. However, she was not bleeding when police arrived and she was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center for treatment. She survived the attack. The couple was orginally discovered by Jackson's sister, who then called police.

The following is from the Hennepin County Attorney's Office and details Anderson's plea and sentencing expectations:

As part of the agreement for his guilty plea, three other charges, including first-degree murder, will be dropped. Anderson is expected to receive 450 months in prison when he is sentenced at 8:30 a.m. June 11.

The sentence will be an upward departure from the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines recommendation of 340 months. As part of his guilty plea, Anderson
agreed Thursday to forego a separate hearing and agree his crimes included aggravating factors that deserved the higher sentence.

Those factors are that his victim, Richard Webb, was 79 years old, that the murder occurred in the Webb home and that after the crime, Anderson fled in the Webb’s car and made no attempt to get help for the couple. And finally, the murder was particularly cruel because Anderson had to get close to Webb to kill him.

As part of his guilty plea, Anderson, 24, of Minneapolis, answered a series of questions from his lawyer that outlined what happened on Feb. 28, 2012. Anderson knew the couple and had been hired to shovel their sidewalk. Anderson was in the house and became angry with Webb. Anderson attacked Webb, hitting him in the head several times, then used a knife to cut Webb’s throat.

According to the attorney's office, Anderson also admitted he went after Webb’s wife intending to kill her and cut her across the throat.

Richfield Patch will update readers after Anderson's sentencing hearing.

Related articles:

• Updated: Third Victim Not Stabbed in Richfield
• Follow-Up: Richfield Police Looking for Missing Vehicle from Double Stabbing Incident
• Follow-Up: Man Charged With Murder After Attack on Richfield Couple
• UPDATE: Man Officially Charged in Richfield Murder
• UPDATED: Alleged Richfield Murderer's Hearing Rescheduled
• Richfield Couple Attacked in Their Home; Husband Murdered: No. 7 Story of the Year

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