Cook County jury finds Wisconsin man guilty on accomplice to murder charge
It took a dozen Cook County residents one hour of deliberation to find a Wisconsin man guilty of dismembering the body of a Minnesota man in 2021 and later dumping the body in Lake Superior near Grand Portage.
The jury, consisting of 12 Cook County residents, found 42-year-old Robert West, of South Range, Wisc., guilty on two felony charges. The guilty verdict was handed down at approximately 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at the Cook County Courthouse in Grand Marais. The trial started Monday, Jan. 30.
West was found guilty on two felony counts, including being an accomplice after the fact to felony murder and interference with dead body or scene of death. Sentencing will come at a later date.
West was accused of helping another Wisconsin man, Jacob Johnson, dismember and dispose of the body of Ricky Balsimo, of St. Paul. Johnson is accused of shooting Balsimo in July 2021. He claims the shooting took place in self-defense. Mike Ryan, an attorney for West, argued throughout the trial that West shouldn’t be held liable as an accomplice after the fact because no murder was committed. The jury felt otherwise.
According to court documents, dive teams found the remains of Balsimo on July 15, 2021, in cement-weighted buckets that were dumped in Lake Superior near Grand Portage.
Members of Balsimo’s family were present in the courtroom throughout the trial, including when the verdict was read. Balsimo’s sister, Raquel Turner, was the first witness to take the stand. Later, as the verdict was read, Balsimo’s mother became emotional in the courtroom.
Assistant Minnesota Attorney General Dan Vlieger, who worked with Cook County Attorney Molly Hicken during the trial, served as the lead prosecutor during the courtroom proceedings.
In a statement sent to WTIP following the verdict, Hicken said, “Guilty verdicts for Robert West is a just result and today is a good day. It is still difficult to call this a ‘win’ when the family of Ricky Balsimo has lost a son, a brother, and a father.”
Hicken first charged West on July 16, 2021, with both charges.
“The resources required by this prosecution made assistance from the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office essential,” Hicken said in the statement she sent to WTIP Feb. 8. “I am grateful for the impressive skill and hard work of my co-counsel Assistant Attorney General Dan Vlieger. Earlier acknowledgments of the immense investigative efforts of law enforcement, including the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, left out kudos for a private investigative firm called Applied Professional Services (Duluth, MN) which helped to break this case. Tom Crossmon and Crossmon Consulting, and assistance from the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office and Superior Police Department/Douglas County dive team, were also critical to locating and recovering the victim’s body.”
Judge Michael Cuzzo thanked the local jurors for their service to the community by serving during the trial. Cuzzo also thanked the courtroom attendees for how they composed themselves during such an emotionally-charged trial.
A trial for Johnson on murder charges is upcoming later this year.
Joe Friedrichs February 8, 2023
