Great post. This is Beth the original commenter who posted on Reddit. I got a crim psych degree but am not a professional or detective. I did evaluate the case with my limited experience and also feel as a hunch they were let in or wandered in freely (Minnesotans esp in rochester leave doors unlocked) and was looking for her. The bedroom I think was towards back of the house? So it was away from windows and being seen by people. Hard to believe nobody saw anything. But I wonder with her various jobs did she run into someone who made her uncomfortable or was after her and she didn't know it or a stalker of some kind. This was before social media so likely not from there. Such a curious case and I knew her only a little bit. We were not friends outside class. Those who did know her knew her sweet kind demeanor and tough attitude as a runner got her thru cross country runs etc. She was well liked. Hope her family finds closure. Thanks for the article.
Minor edit: The town mentioned early on is Mankato MN. It was misspelled.
Hello Beth, I'm glad you found the post satisfactory. I made every effort to gather as much information as possible about the case online. However, you're correct; since the murder occurred before the widespread use of social media, it was challenging to find all the details. It was frustrating at times to sift through different sources leading to the same conclusions.
From my perspective, April appears to have been a wonderful woman, as described by multiple sources. It's possible that someone developed feelings for her but was rejected and sought revenge. You also mentioned the theory that April may have encountered someone who made her uncomfortable during her work. While April was indeed very likeable and involved in community activities, there's always a chance that someone could have harboured ill feelings towards her, albeit slim.
I appreciate the valuable insight into Minnesotans' behaviour regarding leaving doors unlocked. During the investigation, it was discovered that April left for work at 4:00 and returned around 8:00. After that, she left again to attend a class at RCTC around 10:50. The fire was discovered by the cable technician at 12:30, indicating that the time frame for the murder and arson was between 10:50 and 12:30, roughly 1 hour and 40 minutes. Considering the time needed for the class and for the fire to destroy evidence, the perpetrator had limited time to commit the crime and set the bedroom ablaze. This leads me to believe that the murder was premeditated rather than a random act. However, due to the lack of evidence and my limited contacts in the area, I can't claim to have all the answers, despite spending about 5 hours on research (or perhaps even less).
Nonetheless, this case remains intriguing to me, and I appreciate the valuable information you provided about April Sorensen's case. I hope her family finds the closure they seek.
Great post. This is Beth the original commenter who posted on Reddit. I got a crim psych degree but am not a professional or detective. I did evaluate the case with my limited experience and also feel as a hunch they were let in or wandered in freely (Minnesotans esp in rochester leave doors unlocked) and was looking for her. The bedroom I think was towards back of the house? So it was away from windows and being seen by people. Hard to believe nobody saw anything. But I wonder with her various jobs did she run into someone who made her uncomfortable or was after her and she didn't know it or a stalker of some kind. This was before social media so likely not from there. Such a curious case and I knew her only a little bit. We were not friends outside class. Those who did know her knew her sweet kind demeanor and tough attitude as a runner got her thru cross country runs etc. She was well liked. Hope her family finds closure. Thanks for the article.
Minor edit: The town mentioned early on is Mankato MN. It was misspelled.
Hello Beth, I'm glad you found the post satisfactory. I made every effort to gather as much information as possible about the case online. However, you're correct; since the murder occurred before the widespread use of social media, it was challenging to find all the details. It was frustrating at times to sift through different sources leading to the same conclusions.
From my perspective, April appears to have been a wonderful woman, as described by multiple sources. It's possible that someone developed feelings for her but was rejected and sought revenge. You also mentioned the theory that April may have encountered someone who made her uncomfortable during her work. While April was indeed very likeable and involved in community activities, there's always a chance that someone could have harboured ill feelings towards her, albeit slim.
I appreciate the valuable insight into Minnesotans' behaviour regarding leaving doors unlocked. During the investigation, it was discovered that April left for work at 4:00 and returned around 8:00. After that, she left again to attend a class at RCTC around 10:50. The fire was discovered by the cable technician at 12:30, indicating that the time frame for the murder and arson was between 10:50 and 12:30, roughly 1 hour and 40 minutes. Considering the time needed for the class and for the fire to destroy evidence, the perpetrator had limited time to commit the crime and set the bedroom ablaze. This leads me to believe that the murder was premeditated rather than a random act. However, due to the lack of evidence and my limited contacts in the area, I can't claim to have all the answers, despite spending about 5 hours on research (or perhaps even less).
Nonetheless, this case remains intriguing to me, and I appreciate the valuable information you provided about April Sorensen's case. I hope her family finds the closure they seek.