On the morning of August 14, 2016, police were called to a home on Jefferson Road in Northfield after reports of shots fired. Officers found 61-year-old Lilly Marie Kirckof deceased inside the residence from multiple gunshot wounds; the Hennepin County Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide. The woman who made the call was Kirckof’s 75-year-old roommate, Phyllis Ann Hall.

Investigators from the Northfield Police Department and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension examined the relationship between the two women. Friends said Kirckof had a bold personality and a passion for cars, including an Eleanor Mustang she had built and shown. Reports indicate tensions over the house’s potential sale price. Hall was initially taken into custody and later released as the investigation continued with the possibility of self-defense considered.

In February 2017 the Rice County Attorney announced no charges would be filed, concluding prosecutors could not disprove Hall’s claim that she acted in self-defense given her frailty, limited mobility, and the account that Kirckof came to Hall’s second-floor bedroom threatening her and creating a commotion. Does anyone have additional information about Lilly Kirckof, her life in Northfield, or the events that morning?