James Robert Hess

A Hill City man is charged with second-degree murder in the October 2021 shooting death of his brother.

Investigators arrested 48-year-old James Robert Hess Tuesday morning at his home. He was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Aitkin County Jail.

Hess is accused of shooting and killing his brother 52-year-old William Harold Hess, Jr., who is also from Hill City. According to the criminal complaint, James Hess shot his brother in the head in October of last year, put his body in a camper his brother lived in, and towed it to a trail just west of 380th Avenue in Hill Lake Township. The body of William Hess wasn’t discovered until May 12th.

Hess appeared in Aitkin County District Court on May 25 before the Honorable Judge David Hermerding. His release conditions have been set at $1,000,000 bail or bond with no conditions, or $500,000 non-cash bond with conditions, or $500,000 cash bail with conditions. Hess remains in the Aitkin County Jail with additional charges pending.

The homicide investigation was conducted by the Aitkin County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension with significant assistance from the Aitkin, Itasca, and Mille Lacs Violent Crime Enforcement Team.

By — Ryan Bowler