Minneapolis murder victim
was Northland native
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Duluth News Tribune
Feb. 23 '08

A 70-year-old woman who was murdered in Minneapolis last week was a native of Finland and kept ties with the community after she moved away.

Pirkko Gaultney, whose maiden name was Pirkko Hill, was found dead in her north Minneapolis home Wednesday night. Police have arrested three teenagers — two 15-year-olds and a 16-year-old — in connection with her death.

“It’s a terrible end for somebody like that,” said Don Runnberg of Finland, who attended Two Harbors High School with Gaultney. “She was such a kind person. She really cared about helping people.”

Northern Minnesota residents recall Gaultney as a vivacious Finn who was proud of her heritage.

Gaultney’s father was one of the founding homesteaders of Isabella, a community near Finland, according to Don and his wife Marlis Runnberg. The Finland Historical Society (http://www.finlandmnhistoricalsociety.com/photo.htm) is working on a Finland-area heritage museum, and Don said he had been thinking about contacting Pirkko for information....

...Karen Lindgren of Silver Bay said she graduated with Gaultney in 1956....

...The Runnbergs said they thought Gaultney worked at the Mayo Clinic at one point. She was also the director of Salolampi, Concordia Language Village’s Finnish language program. (http://www.salolampi.org/foundation/foundationhistory.html) She was the program’s dean from 1982 to 1986....

Source:
http://www.startribune.com/local/15630772.html

Cooper High Drop-Out Charged
In North Minneapolis Murder

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One of Three
Update: The two Amstrong brothers arrested in connection with the murder have been released pending further investigation. A Cooper HS dropout has been formally charged with second-degree murder. All three boys were imported to District 281 with “The Choice Is Yours” program. From the MN Sun-Post February 21:

A 15-year-old Minneapolis boy, who was a student at Cooper High School in New Hope until he withdrew from classes last month, was charged with second-degree murder in Hennepin County Juvenile Court Feb. 20, in connection with the death of 70-year-old Pirkko Gaultney.

Minneapolis Police found Gaultney’s body Feb. 13, at her home in the 3600 block of Fremont Avenue North.

The 15-year-old boy was charged with one count of second-degree murder during the commission of a burglary, and one count of second-degree murder during the commission of a robbery, according to the Minneapolis Police Department.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office is seeking to have the boy certified as an adult, according to a spokesperson from that office.

Two Minneapolis brothers, ages 15 and 16, both students at Armstrong High School in Plymouth, were arrested at school Feb. 15 in connection with the case, but were released pending further investigation, according to the Minneapolis Police Department.

“It was a surprise to us when [the arrests] happened on Friday morning,” Robbinsdale District 281 Superintendent Stan Mack said. “When plain-clothes officers from the Minneapolis Police Department came to the school to arrest the students, they were appropriately in class. There was no disobedience involved.”

All three of the boys were open- enrolled in their respective District 281 high schools as ninth-graders as part of the Choice Is Yours program, Superintendent Stan Mack said.
The Choice is Yours program is the result of a Minneapolis School District lawsuit through which suburban districts are mandated to accept Minneapolis students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.

“It was a surprise to us when [the arrests] happened, ” Mack responds. It’s not surprising to those used to problems some imported students bring to our schools… and now we have the unhappy distinction of having an accused murderer attending Cooper. It’s time concerned residents and suburban districts work together to end the Choice is Yours mandate.

Source:
http://281exposed.wordpress.com/2008/02/21/twp-armstrong-students-arrested-in-connection-with-minneapolis-murder/