Lawyer beat his ex-wife to death while she clung to their two-year-old son
Anders Odegaard, 31, is in custody for the murder of his wife
A Minnesota lawyer has been charged with beating his ex-wife to death in front of their young children, including a three-year-old boy who was in his mother’s arms as she was beaten, choked and left for dead in a pool of blood.
Anders Odegaard, 31, is in custody for the murder of his ex-wife Carissa.
The couple married in 2011 but divorced in 2021, saying in court documents that there had been an ‘irretrievable breakdown of the marriage’.
On Tuesday, police were called to Anders’ home in Warren, Minnesota, where they found Carissa lying in a pool of blood in a doorway near the dining room.
She had gone to collect the couple’s five kids for church at around 5pm and Anders, wearing just his boxers, flew into a rage and began beating her.
The couple’s oldest child, a nine-year-old boy, ran out of the home to a nearby highway to flag down a motorist.
The driver went to the family home, saw Carissa inside unconscious and called 911.
Carissa Odegaard with the couple’s five kids in a photo shared by her family on a GoFundMe page. She was holding her three-year-old son (front) during the attack. Her four-year-old daughter (right) and six-year-old son (second left) were in her car. Her eight-year-old son (far left) and nine-year-old son (next to her) ran into the street to flag down a stranger for help
The attack took place at Anders’ home in Warren, Minnesota, on Tuesday
A disturbing police report obtained by DailyMail.com reveals that the oldest boy and his eight-year-old sibling saw the attack unfold.
The stranger who was flagged down by the boys told police ‘their mom was bleeding really bad and needed help.
‘He spoke to the older of the two boys who said his mother was inside the house laying on the floor bleeding really bad. The boy said that he thinks that she is dead.
‘He asked the boy who was in the house and he said his dad was inside with his mom.’
Police beckoned Anders out of the home.
He came out ‘from the kitchen area and was standing in just his gray boxer style briefs.
He noticed he had what looked to be blood smeared on his left eyebrow and blood in his hair,’ the police complaint against him reveals.
Anders and his ex-wife married in 2011 when they were in their early 20s. In court documents, they said there had been an ‘irretrievable breakdown’ of the marriage
The former couple with their oldest son, who is now nine. He ran out to flag down a stranger and ask for help when he saw his father start to choke and beat his mother
When asked what had happened, all he would tell police was ‘I don’t feel right.’
Inside, police found Carissa lying on the floor next to the dining table.
‘She was not breathing and had severe head trauma and had blood pooling on the floor by her head,’ she said.
Their six-year-old brother and four-year-old sister were in the mother’s vehicle in the driveway.
The three-year-old, who turned three in June, was in his mother’s arms. He was silent when police tried to interview him afterwards.
‘The toddler would not say anything. He did see what happened because his mother had been holding him at the time of the assault,’ the police report says.
The two older boys were interviewed and told police that they had seen their father hit their mother in the past.
The older boys told police they’d eaten ‘spaghetti for lunch’, played outside and read books while their father spent most of the day working on the computer.
Anders and Carissa in their early 20s, when they got married. She had wanted to take the kids to church and it sent her ex into a rage
The five young kids are now being cared for by members of Carissa’s family, who are asking for donations on a GoFundMe (found here)
The couple had been married for ten years before Carissa filed for divorce in 2021.
Those divorce records reveal their crippling debt; Anders had $103,000 in student loans, a Lending Club Loan of $22,650 and multiple credit cards with a total balance of $32,750.
Carissa also had a Target credit card with an unpaid balance of $5,590, an Old Navy card with a balance of $1,770. Their shared credit cards had joint balances of $30,000.
Carissa’s family are now raising money to help pay for her funeral and care for the children.
‘This horrible tragedy will not be lost on our community.
‘Carissa’s mom friends, community and family will miss her dearly and hope this will help to honor her name,’ they said.
The account, found here, has raised more than $28,000 so far.
Carissa’s sister Anna told local outlet WDAY, an ABC affiliate, that she had rebuilt her life after leaving her ex.
‘After leaving her ex-husband I watched her rebuild a beautiful life for her and her kids, she invested herself in all of their needs.
‘She was so elegant with each of their personalities, and gave all of them tools to succeed while cheering each of them on in their interest,’ she said.
It’s unclear where Odegaard was working, or if he still practices law. He is qualified as an attorney in North Dakota.
