Man who played role in dumping of body into Lake Superior near Grand Portage sentenced to more than a decade in prison

Rick Balsimo Sr. spent most of his life thinking the North Shore was a beautiful place.

Now, after his son’s dismembered body was dumped into Lake Superior near Grand Portage, the North Shore is a place of nightmares and painful memories, according to Assistant Minnesota Attorney General Dan Vlieger.

Balsimo Sr. was among those present in the Cook County Courthouse in Grand Marais Tuesday, Aug. 29, while the person who played a role in his son’s death was sentenced to prison.

Sentenced was 43-year-old Robert West, of South Range, Wisc. Earlier this year, West was found guilty of helping another Wisconsin man, Jacob Johnson, dismember and dispose of the body of Ricky Balsimo, of St. Paul. Balsimo was a 34-year-old father of three, his family members said today as they read emotional victim impact statements in the Grand Marais courtroom.

Johnson was found guilty earlier this month of shooting Balsimo in July 2021. After shooting Balsimo, Johnson and several other accomplices, including West, tried to hide the body. Eventually, Johnson dismembered Balsimo. West and another accomplice, Tommi Hintz, of Duluth, traveled to Grand Portage to dispose of the body. 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.

Judge Michael Cuzzo handed down the prison sentence for West Tuesday afternoon at the Cook County Courthouse. Cuzzo sentenced West to 198 months in prison for the two felony counts, including being an accomplice after the fact to felony murder and interference with dead body or scene of death. The judge in Cook County showed little in the way of leniency toward West, telling him in the courtroom that he treated Balsimo’s body “like it was garbage.” Cuzzo said West showed little remorse through the trial and in the lead-up to sentencing. Cuzzo also found the nature of the crimes West was found guilty of “incredibly disturbing,” noting that it appeared West had plans for how to dispose of a body if he ever found himself in a situation where such action would need to be taken.

Members of Balsimo’s family, including his mother and father, were present in the courtroom throughout the trial. They were also present Tuesday during the sentencing, as was Balsimo’s younger sister, Raquel Turner. While giving her victim-impact statement, Turner said her family’s lives “will never be the same” after the murder of her brother. Balsimo was murdered on Father’s Day, Turner said, a day that is forever associated with pain and loss for her family.

Vlieger, who worked with Cook County Attorney Molly Hicken during the trial, served as the lead prosecutor during the courtroom proceedings. Also present in the courtroom Tuesday were members of West’s family, who shook their head repeatedly as Cuzzo handed down the maximum sentence. There were numerous Cook County law enforcement officials present in the courtroom as well during the sentencing.

Also sentenced Tuesday was Hintz, who can avoid any jail time under the sentence Cuzzo handed down to her if she complies with the terms of her release, which includes staying sober. Hintz told the court she has been sober for nearly 500 days after struggling with an addiction to methamphetamine. Hintz told authorities she was high on meth when she drove to Grand Portage in July 2021 and was involved with the disposal of Balsimo’s body.

Johnson, who was found guilty in a Duluth courtroom earlier this month, is scheduled for sentencing Sept. 11 at the Cook County Courthouse.

The murder of Balsimo, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa in North Dakota, and the dumping of his body into Lake Superior drew widespread attention dating back to 2021, with media from across Minnesota reporting on the brutal nature of the crimes West and Johnson were found guilty of. This coverage continued through West’s sentencing, with reporters from the Star Tribune and the Duluth News Tribune present in the courtroom Tuesday.

Pictured in the photo is Robert West leaving the Cook County Courthouse Tuesday afternoon following his sentencing. 

Joe Friedrichs August 29, 2023