Man guilty of murder during the conspiracy he ordered to set up a drug house near Princeton, MN, and was robbed by fake cops

Jurors in Isanti County have convicted a man of a murder that prosecutors say was committed after he directed three Twin Cities men dressed like police officers to rob a suspected drug den.

Fredy Saavedra Olivar, 41, of Northfield, was found guilty Thursday in district court after a four-day trial on two counts each of second-degree murder and first-degree burglary in connection with the Dec. 13, 2023, killings of 42 people Jose De Jesus Diaz Fernandes on a ranch about 7 miles east of Princeton.

Saavedra Olivar remains in prison pending sentencing, scheduled for January 17.

Three St. Paul men also face the same charges for their alleged involvement in the conspiracy: Abraham Alexander Houle, 42; Jesse Mateo Rodrigues, 44; and Jerold Allen Downs, 46. All remain in custody and their court dates are scheduled for early next year.

Prosecutors said Saavedra Olivar provided the men with a gun, drugs and the ranch address and then coordinated with them by phone shortly before the crime and subsequent shooting of Diaz Fernandes. Four other people, including a one-year-old, were at the ranch residence at the time.

“One of the intruders fired [Diaz Fernandes]“,” the criminal complaints say, without specifying which man pulled the trigger.

According to the complaints:

Sheriff's deputies arrived at the ranch and saw Diaz Fernandes in the entryway. There was a rifle under his body. Rescue workers pronounced him dead at the scene of the accident.