Kindi Jalloh, of Grand Forks, will stand trial on murder charge

GRAND FORKS – A Grand Forks man charged with murder is anticipated to stand trial no earlier than May.

Kindi Jalloh, 39, had his final dispositional conference on Thursday, Jan. 26. David Ogren, Jalloh's lawyer, informed the court Jalloh will be going to trial.

The trial hasn't been scheduled, but it is expected to take up to two weeks.

Jalloh is charged with Class AA felony murder and Class C felony tampering with evidence.

Douglas Elgert, 67, was found dead at his residence on May 24, 2022, according to an affidavit in the case.

When the Grand Forks Police Department arrived at 1204 North 39th St. No. 3, they were met by Jalloh, a neighbor and the neighbor’s grandson.

According to the neighbor’s statement to police, Jalloh told her he found Elgert unresponsive in the kitchen and believed Elgert might be injured.

Police observed Elgert on the floor of his kitchen, cold to the touch. There was blood on the floor under his head, the affidavit said.

The GFPD searched the apartment and found blood on the bedroom wall, bathroom floor, living room wall and a couple of paper towels, the affidavit said. There were clumps of hair on the living room floor.

After obtaining a search warrant, the GFPD searched the surrounding area. There was a dumpster nearby that was emptied earlier that day and had very little garbage in it.

Inside, police found a pair of white AIC 270 size Euro 42 shoes with blood on them, a receipt for 9:54 p.m. on May 23 from Kasper’s Bar and Bottle Shop and other items with blood on them, according to the affidavit.

Jalloh told the detective the shoes were his, and “he threw them away because when he checked on Douglas Elgert, prior to calling police, he got blood on them and he threw them away because he was scared he’d be in trouble,” the affidavit said.

Police reviewed security footage from Kasper’s Bar and Bottle Shop, and observed Jalloh making the purchases listed on the receipt, the affidavit said. Jalloh was arrested for tampering with evidence.

According to the affidavit, Jalloh had been staying at Elgert's apartment for approximately three weeks, and had a key to the residence.

After a doctor performed the autopsy on Elgert’s body the next day, he told police he believed the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and neck. He ruled the death a homicide.

Later, in August, Jalloh was charged with Elgert’s murder.