New Year's Death a Homicide, Medical Examiner Says

The Jan. 1 death of a 36-year-old Eagan man has been ruled a homicide, according to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office.

Jonathan Thomas Lahr died of blunt force injuries to his head and neck, the medical examiner said following an autopsy conducted earlier this year.

Police say , shortly before midnight on Jan. 1 at an apartment complex on Slater Road, straddling the Eagan-Burnsville border. During the fight, Lahr suffered facial injuries. He could not be resuscitated by paramedics and fire personnel, who were called to the scene by Petersen.

Petersen and two other individuals were detained for questioning following the incident, but no charges have yet been filed against any of the three men. Petersen, the only person identified by police, was released from the Dakota County Jail on Jan. 3.

Lahr is survived by his parents, Stephen and Carole Lahr and his brothers, Brian and Jeff, according to an obituary notice posted by Washburn-McReavy Funeral Chapel in Edina.

A subsequent investigation revealed that Petersen had been the victim's roommate since June 2012, and that both witnesses had blood-alcohol concentrations of .195 and .205.

Eagan Police Chief Jim McDonald said investigators believe everyone involved in the incident had been consuming alcohol that evening. Police have turned over the results of their investigation to the Dakota County Attorney's Office for possible charges, McDonald added.

"Right now, they're evaluating the facts, and we are waiting for a determination if chages are going to be filed."

"There’s a lot involved here, and a lot of facts to be sifted through, which will be eventually evaluated by county attorney’s office," Dakota County Attorney's Office spokesperson Monica Jensen said.