Olmsted County man facing upgraded first-degree charges in Christmas murder

Upgraded Murder Charges for Mustafa Bush

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(ABC 6 News) – The man accused of killing 41-year-old Kim Robinson is facing upgraded murder charges.

A grand jury indicted 40-year-old Mustafa Bush on Thursday of two new first-degree murder charges.

Robinson’s body was found in rural Olmsted County the day after Christmas in 2022 by a dog walker.

Law enforcement determined she died of a gunshot wound.

According to a press release from the Olmsted County Attorney’s Office, the grand jury “found probable cause that Mr. Bush intentionally and with premeditation was responsible for her death.”

— RELATED: Rochester Christmas murder suspect competent to proceed with trial; defense moves to suppress digital evidence —

It also found “probable cause that Mr. Bush caused her death while committing domestic abuse.”

Bush is now facing one count of Murder in the 1st Degree-Premeditated and with Intent, one count of Murder in the 1st Degree-Pattern of Domestic Abuse and an additional count of Murder in the 2nd Degree with Intent.

Olmsted County Attorney Mark Ostrem says the upgraded charges are result of new information learned about the abusive nature of the relationship between Bush and Robinson.

“During the course of the investigation, we learned more and more about the events leading up to the homicide, specifically we learned a lot more about the dangerous relationship that the two were in,” said Ostrem.

If Bush is convicted of either first-degree charge, he would face life in prison without the possibility of release.

A grand jury indictment is necessary in the state of Minnesota to get a life in prison sentence.

“It’s really all about just getting that life sentence,” said Ostrem.

Ostrem hopes this will bring some peace to the minds of Robinson’s family.

“You can imagine losing a loved one is hard, and every time we have a hearing, every time something new happens in the case, it kinda brings it back to the surface again,” said Ostrem.

A previous motion by the defense to suppress digital evidence used to accuse Bush of the murder was denied last November.

Due to the new charges, Bush will have another preliminary hearing Tuesday.

His trial is still scheduled for October.