Two men linked to one’s wife are dead after an apparent murder-suicide in Mahtomedi early Monday morning.
Deputies from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office were called to a FedEx facility on Long Lake Road around 2:30 a.m. Monday. They found two men in the parking lot, said Cmdr. Sara Halverson.
One man, Todd “Jimmy” Wilemon, 58, of Fulton, Miss., was already dead, she said.
After attempted lifesaving measures, the other man, David Peterson, 49, of Blaine, was taken by ambulance to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, where he later died, Halverson said.
The two men were truck drivers and knew of one another, Halverson said. Wilemon was in a relationship with Peterson’s wife, who also was a truck driver.
The three worked for Ravenwood Transport, an independent trucking company that carried loads for FedEx; David Peterson was president of the company. Peterson had graduated from Dakota County Technical College, according to his Linkedin.com profile.
Another truck driver driving to the gas-pump area in the parking lot discovered the men on the ground and called 911, officials said.
No one from Ravenwood Transport immediately returned a call seeking comment.
Wilemon previously worked as a professional driver for ABF Freight in Mississippi prior to moving to Blaine in October to work for Ravenwood, said Debbye Wilemon, of Fulton, his wife of seven years. The couple were separated and talking about a divorce but had not come to a mutual agreement.
She said Wilemon moved to Minnesota because he was in a relationship with Peterson’s wife, whom he had met through American Trucking Association events.
Wilemon, a professional truck driver for 35 years, was a member of the association’s America’s Road Team Roster. He had accumulated almost 3 million accident-free miles and won numerous safety awards, including the Silver Safety Driving Award — awarded to those who have driven 30,000 consecutive hours without a preventable accident, according to the ATA.
Wilemon also had won the flatbed competition at the Mississippi Truck Driving Championships in 2011, 2014, 2017 and 2018, according to the ATA.
Willemon was active in the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Fulton, where he had organized missions, served on the cemetery committee and volunteered as Sunday school teacher.
Wilemon liked to ride Honda Gold Wing motorcycles and enjoyed woodworking, she said.
He is survived by two daughters and three stepchildren.
A FedEx spokeswoman said company officials were “shocked and saddened by this tragic incident and extend our deepest condolences to the families and team members of those involved. The safety of our team members is our top priority, and we are cooperating fully with law enforcement as they conduct their investigation.”
