Darren Stebe Sentenced to Life in Prison in Double Murder

Darren Stebe

A Bemidji man has been sentenced to two life sentences in prison for murdering two people at his home in Eckles Township in January of 2019.

Darren Stebe, 47, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to two counts of first-degree murder for shooting and killing Adam Thorpe, 39, of Maple Grove and Jason McDonough, 41, of Superior, Wisc.

Stebe admitted to luring McDonough to his home so he could rob him. Thorpe accompanied McDonough to Stebe’s home and Stebe shot them both after McDonough refused to give Stebe money.

Stebe was sentenced Thursday in Beltrami County Court to the two life sentences to be served concurrently.

Lead prosecutor David Frank said it’s a case that will leave a lasting impact on all involved.

“Our hearts go out to the victims’ families,” said Frank. “This is by far the most disturbing and chilling case that I’ve prosecuted in my career. The callousness and cold blooded decisions made by the defendant (Stebe) were simply unfathomable.”

The prosecution was prepared to go to trial and they were in the third day of jury selection when Stebe entered his guilty pleas. Frank said the prosecution was very confident in its case if a trial happened and were ready to call 30 witnesses to the stand.

“I really need to thank law enforcement,” said Frank. “The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension did phenomenal work on this case.”

Frank noted Stebe has the right to ask for supervised release after he serves 30 years but said it is highly unlikely that request would be granted by a judge.