Elko New Market man sentenced to 40 years for killing landlord with hammer

SHAKOPEE, Minn. — An Elko New Market man was sentenced earlier this month to 40 years in prison for a deadly hammer attack on his 68-year-old landlord.
Scott County officials say 27-year-old Cesar Jeff Cervantes-Montoya pleaded guilty to second-degree intentional murder in connection to the fatal confrontation on the morning of Jan. 5, 2022.
According to the criminal complaint, Cervantes-Montoya called 911 himself to report and admit to committing the crime. Deputies arrived at the scene to find the victim inside his Main Street residence “lying at the bottom of the stairs, unresponsive, with severe head trauma,” officials said.
While in custody, the complaint says Cervantes-Montoya told investigators he had been living with his girlfriend in the victim’s basement for three years.
He said the victim had been “beating his dog,” in addition to being “verbally abusive” and making “racial comments.”
Cervantes-Montoya said he confronted the victim about the dog abuse on the morning of the attack, and the men started shoving each other.
Cervantes-Montoya said he then “freaked out” and “grabbed the nearest object, which was a hammer, and I f****** hit him with it,” the complaint states, adding he felt both “panicked” and “slightly liberated.” Investigators say he told them he didn’t mean to kill him, but “didn’t feel bad” about it.
He went on to justify his actions by telling investigators the victim had been “‘asking for it’ by threatening him, hitting his dog, invading his private space, hitting his car and ‘getting in his bubble,”’ according to the complaint.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office later concluded that besides the blunt force trauma from the hammer, the victim had also been strangled and suffered broken ribs, a broken pinky finger and several other defensive wounds.
Deputies at the scene had also noted the victim’s body was cold and rigor mortis had already set in, signally Cervantes-Montoya had waited hours before calling 911.
“We hope the resolution of this case brings some measure of closure to the victim’s family, although we recognize that no sentence can truly make up for the loss of a loved one,” said Scott County Sheriff Luke Hennen.