Authorities: Grand Marais man admitted to killing another man with a shovel

A Grand Marais man faces second degree murder for a death earlier this week.

27-year-old Levi Axtell appeared in a remote court hearing on Friday morning.

Prosecutors say he killed 77-year-old Lawrence Scully on Wednesday.

The criminal complaint said Axtell walked into the law enforcement center and said he murdered Scully with a shovel. Axtell was apparently covered in blood.

Deputies found Scully dead in his home that afternoon, with a shovel nearby. A passerby had called authorities when he saw a man pull up to Scully’s house, smash a vehicle, and run inside. Then, the passerby reportedly heard screaming.

The apparent motive, according to the complaint, was that Axtell believed Scully to have sexually offended against children in the past. He said he would see Scully’s vehicle at locations where children were present, and believed he would re-offend.

Judge Michael Cuzzo set bail at $1 million dollars.

The next court hearing is April 10th.