Marso’s book finds grace notes in Klinefelter tragedy

by Dennis Dalman

editor@thenewsleaders.com

When Andy Marso was 15, he heard all about the tragic murder of Brian Klinefelter, a young St. Joseph police officer who was murdered at a road stop on a bitterly cold night 20 years ago.

Little did Marso know at that time that 18 years later he would begin to write a book about that night and its long-time consequences, both bad and good. The book was published Jan. 29, exactly 20 years after Klinefelter was shot to death.

Marso’s book wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for a man named Doug Thomsen, the barber-friend of Marso’s father, Harry. One day, a few years ago, Thomsen was talking with Harry about the frantic, frightening chase that followed Klinefelter’s murder. Knowing Harry’s son, Andy, is a journalist living in Topeka, Kan., he asked him if Andy would consider writing a book about that terrible night. Thomsen knew first-hand just how terrible it was. After shooting Klinefelter, the killer drove to a neighborhood in St. Cloud where he entered a house and took its owner, Doug Thomsen, hostage, forcing him to drive, then later ordering him into the trunk as the killer continued to drive around.

Marso autographed copies of his book Jan. 30 at the Barnes and Noble in St. Cloud. Accompanied by his mother, Virginia, well-wishers chatted warmly with Marso about his new book and his life.

The book

Marso’s book is entitled The Klinefelter Legacy: A Story of Faith, Family and Forgiveness.

In one way, it’s a grim and disturbing account of a cold-blooded murder, filled with sadness – a young cop, only 25, struck down in the line of duty while a wife and their newborn daughter awaited his return back home.

But, on the other hand, much of the book is uplifting and even inspiring, and that, Marso said, is because of the extraordinary people so stricken by Klinefelter’s death who, in time, found solace and peace through their religious faith, their ever-extending family bonds and, yes, even forgiveness of the young men who committed the awful crime.

“That is why the book is ultimately inspirational,” said Marso in an interview with the Newsleader, after his book-signing session. “It’s because those people are so incredible and how they reacted to what happened with such grace. There were terrible things that happened, but these folks responded, with forgiveness over bitterness.”

One of the good outcomes, thanks to Klinefelter’s loved ones, colleagues and well-wishers, was the creation of the Brian Klinefelter Foundation, which offers scholarships to those studying law enforcement and that promotes bonding between adults and young people through healthy activities. A major goal of the Foundation is to help troubled kids grow up healthy and happy through positive influences and guidance in their lives, something Brian Klinefelter would have heartily approved.

The horrific night

Shortly after 9 p.m. Monday, Jan. 29, a liquor store in Albany was robbed by three young men in a stolen pickup.

It was a brutally cold night with a raging wind-chill factor. Officer Klinefelter was just finishing his patrol shift in St. Joseph when he heard there had been a robbery in Albany and the culprits may be heading toward St. Joseph. Klinefelter decided to stay on past his shift’s end to watch for a vehicle on Hwy. 75. At about 9:15 p.m., Klinefelter spotted the pickup with three young men inside. He turned on his lights and siren and stopped the pickup on Hwy. 75 by the intersection of CR 133 in east St. Joseph. He approached the pickup. The man in the driver’s seat, Thomas Kantor, raised a handgun and fired repeatedly, hitting Klinefelter five times, causing him to die right there at the scene.

The pickup then fled, ending up in a west St. Cloud neighborhood, where the three men fled on foot. One of the men, Kantor, walked into a residence and, threatening the man of the house with his gun, forced the man (Doug Thomsen) to get into his own Thunderbird and drive with Kantor crouched down and telling Thomsen what to do and where to go. After driving toward the St. Stephen area, Kantor ordered Thomsen to stop and then forced him to get into the trunk. Then Kantor took the wheel and kept driving as Thomsen wondered where they were going and what would become of him.

Finally, the car came to a stop. Thomsen heard a gunshot but had no idea what had happened until a couple of minutes later when all kinds of law enforcement arrived on the scene. They opened the trunk to a very much relieved Thomson. At that point, he learned what had happened. A female officer had stopped the Thunderbird near Municipal Park on Benton Drive in Sauk Rapids. The driver (Kantor) kept walking toward the officer with a gun in his hand. She told him to drop it; he wouldn’t and kept approaching, raising the gun at her near her squad car. She had no choice. She fired her own gun and Kantor dropped dead.

Meantime, in the St. Cloud neighborhood, the two other suspects (Kenneth Roering and Brian Ederhoff) were captured while shivering under the deck of a residence. Both later received 16-year prison terms.

Klinefelter’s senseless death shook the entire state. Surviving him were his wife, Wendy, and their 3-month-old daughter Katelyn – not to mention his immediate family in St. Cloud and so many friends, acquaintances and professional colleagues.

Marso’s book, based on scores of interviews and research of documents, unfolds the entire story right up until the present time. Klinefelter’s parents, Dave and Lois, still live in St. Cloud and are very active in the Brian Klinefelter Foundation. Wendy married a St. Cloud police officer, John Tragiai, and they have a son and daughter, in addition to 19-year-old Katelyn, Wendy and Brian’s daughter, who is now a student at the University of Minnesota. Brian’s brothers, Jason and Greg, have also served with honor as officers for the St. Cloud Police Department.

“I want to give a major thank you to all who allowed me to interview them (for this book) and the courage they showed in opening themselves up,” Marso said. “I couldn’t have written this book without them.”

The Klinefelter Legacy: A Story of Faith, Family and Forgiveness is available on amazon.com, from North Star Press (its publisher), at Barnes and Noble in St. Cloud and also at “Keepers,” the law-enforcement supply store owned by the Klinefelters on Division Street in St. Cloud.

Marso’s Life

Born in St. Cloud, Marso grew up on the north side and graduated from Cathedral High School in 2000, then began studying journalism at the University of Kansas-Lawrence. During a summer break from college, he worked as a reporter/feature writer for the St. Joseph and Sartell Newsleaders.

During his Kansas schooling years, Marso was dealt a terrible blow when he developed a vicious form of meningitis, the Bacterial Type B form of the viral disease. There was no vaccine to fight that form of meningitis back then, although, fortunately, there are now two vaccines against it.

Marso was on the brink of death for a long time. For three weeks he was in a coma. Because the disease had compromised his circulation, the tissue on his fingers and toes became so damaged, they had to be amputated. He spent three months in a burn unit at Kansas City Medical Center, recovering slowly. Then he had to do a year of physical and occupational therapy. He was 22 at the time.

That horrific and painful experience led to Marso’s first book, Worth the Pain, which detailed his struggle, his recovery and his re-adaptation to life, including hiking in the Swiss Alps and in the Brazilian rain forest, among other intrepid adventures. That book was published in 2013.

Marso succeeded in earning his journalism degree. He is now a writer for the Kansas Health Institute News Service.

Marso said he will likely write another book, maybe a novel next time around.