3 dead in apparent murder-suicide

Investigators are still working to figure out exactly what happened last weekend, when a father and his grown son were shot and killed at a home in Culver township by the son's best friend, who later took his own life.

According to a press release from the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office, Cody Pirila, 31, confessed to shooting Skylar Hunter, 31, and his father, Jamie Hunter, 51, in a call to a 911 dispatcher while he was being pursued by a state trooper. Pirila also told the dispatcher he wanted to kill himself.

The "why" of the killings is a mystery, said sheriff's deputy Wade Rasch. "We're speculating it had something to do with mental health versus some other type of motive that a person might find logical.It sounds like [Pirila] has struggled with mental health issues in the past."

Authorities were first notified when Pirila's father called 911 about 1 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 16. asking for officers to check on his adult son. Cody Pirila and Skylar Hunter were housemates at a home on Eklund Road in Culver Township, north of Brookston in St. Louis County.

According to the press release, the caller then went to the house. Arriving before the deputies, he found a dead man outside the residence. When authorities arrived, they found another man also dead outside the house.

While information was being gathered and additional resources were responding, a Minnesota State Patrol trooper observed a vehicle moving a few miles away from the scene. The trooper tried to perform a traffic stop. The driver of the vehicle - Pirila - fled from the trooper and a short pursuit ensued. While the pursuit was underway, it was determined that Pirila was the homicide suspect. During the pursuit he called 911 and confessed to the murders, also indicating he wanted to kill himself.

A pursuit intervention technique was employed and the vehicle skidded into the ditch near Big Lake Road and Twin Lakes Drive west of Cloquet, about 14 miles from Eklund Road. When the vehicle came to rest, Pirila is believed to have shot himself inside the vehicle. He died at the scene.

The coroner's report confirmed that both Skylar and Jamie Hunter died of gunshot wounds.

Even though the suspect in the double homicide is dead, Rasch said the Sheriff's Office is still investigating the deaths with assistance from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and its crime scene team. Rasch said they are working to put together a timeline with ballistics and other evidence. "At this time, we don't believe they were killed at the same time," he told the Pine Knot on Monday.

Although the SLC Sheriff's Office is not seeking any additional suspects, anyone with information regarding the investigation is asked to call 911 or the sheriff's office investigative division at 218-336-4350.

Family and friends of Skylar and Jamie Hunter have created a GoFundMe page at https://gofund.me/cb262017 to help with funeral expenses.

"The Hunter family has experienced a senseless loss of Jamie who was a devoted husband, father, brother, and friend to many. Sadly, Jamie and his son Skylar's lives were tragically taken by Skylar's best friend, who Jamie and Tara invited into their home many times. To make matters worse, just one month earlier, the family had lost their brother Jeff to a heroic nine-year battle with cancer," organizer and Jamie's cousin Gina DeLuca-Watson wrote on the page.

"Tara and her remaining son Blaize, a Marine stationed in North Carolina, are left to make arrangements not only for her husband and partner in life but for her son as well."

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How to help

Family and friends of Skylar and Jamie Hunter have created a GoFundMe page at gofund.me/cb262017 to help with funeral and travel expenses for family members out of state.

Although the SLC Sheriff's Office

is not seeking any additional suspects, anyone with information regarding the investigation is asked to call 911 or the SLC Sheriff's Office Investigative Division at 218-336-4350.