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Crime, Law and Justice
MPR News Staff

Cloquet police: Meth found in blood of motel shooting suspect

A view of a Super 8 motel with police vehicles outside.
Cloquet-area law enforcement and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension secure the scene on Jan. 9 after a shooting at the Super 8 motel in Cloquet the previous night.
Erica Dischino for MPR News

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Authorities say the suspect in January’s fatal shooting at a motel in Cloquet had methamphetamine in his system, and did not have any apparent prior connection to the two victims.

Cloquet police on Monday issued a final update on the investigation into the Jan. 8 shooting at the Super 8 motel.

The gunfire claimed the lives of 22-year-old Shellby Marie Trettel, a motel employee who was found in the building, and 35-year-old Patrick Jeffery Roers, a motel guest who was found in a vehicle in the parking lot.

The suspect, 32-year-old Nicholas Elliot Lenius of Ramsey, was found outside with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound and a weapon near his body.

Cloquet police said Monday that in addition to a toxicology report finding the presence of meth in Lenius’ blood, investigators “discovered that the suspect had contacted a coworker and referenced dealing with ‘monsters.’”

An examination of four electronic devices used by Lenius turned up no prior connections or communications between him and the two victims, police said.

“We assessed that the victims were unknown to the suspect based on the gathered information. Furthermore, the suspect may have been experiencing a mental health episode, potentially compounded by the influence of drugs,” Cloquet Police Chief Derek Randall said in Monday’s update.

Cloquet police said the Carlton County Attorney’s Office will review the final investigative report.