HAWLEY, Minn. — A man faces a murder charge after a 52-year-old Moorhead man died this weekend from head injuries he suffered when he was struck with a pool cue during a fight at a Hawley home.
Christopher Vincent Greywater, 50, no address given, appeared Monday, April 6, in Clay County District Court on a charge of second-degree murder after officers found the 52-year-old victim on Thursday, April 2, in the upstairs bedroom of a house at 2311 Meadow Lane in Hawley, with head injuries, according to court documents.
Before the victim was taken to a hospital, he said he was assaulted with a pool cue, court documents said.
The victim, whose name has not been released to the public, died Saturday, April 4. The coroner’s office said the man died from blunt-force trauma, and his death was ruled a homicide, court documents said.
Greywater is being held at the Clay County Jail on a $1 million bond.
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Officers started investigating the assault after responding to a report that a man was knocking on doors in Hawley, according to a news release. The man, later identified as Greywater, told police he had been hit over the head with a pool cue by a woman at the house where the victim was found, court documents said.
Police said they found Devonna Rose Waybenais, 40, of Red Lake, Minn., in a vehicle near the house. She said there was someone inside the home who needed medical attention, court documents said.
Officers learned Greywater, Waybenais, the victim and a man who owned the house were partying at the house for several days, court documents said. They all started playing pool in the basement, but Waybenais and the homeowner went upstairs to watch a movie, according to court documents.
The victim told investigators he came upstairs and that Greywater beat him with a pool cue. But Greywater denied beating the man and said the victim fell down, court documents said.
Waybenais later hit Greywater with a pool cue outside the house, court documents alleged. She said she planned to go get a family member to “tune up” Greywater but had to turn back due to bad weather, court documents said.
Waybenais smelled of alcohol when officers arrived at the scene, and a breath test revealed her blood alcohol level was 0.22%, court documents said.
She faces a felony charge of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and two misdemeanors of DWI. Waybenais is being held at the Clay County Jail on a $50,000 bond.
Waybenais' attorney, Brian Toay of Fargo, did not immediately return a message left by The Forum. Greywater's attorney, Jesse Mickels, declined to comment on the case.
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Hawley is a town with roughly 2,000 residents about 25 miles east of Moorhead along U.S. Highway 10 in Clay County.
