Police say a dispute over cleaning ended with a fatal stab wound and an arrest inside the home.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — A 23-year-old man has been charged with second-degree murder after police said he stabbed his brother during an argument over cleaning a kitchen at a north Minneapolis home before dawn April 30.

Javontae Deshawn Simms is being held in the Hennepin County Jail on a $1 million bond as prosecutors move forward with a murder case rooted in a household dispute. The victim, an adult man identified in court records only as Simms’ brother, had not been publicly named in early reports. The case places two witnesses, a kitchen knife and Simms’ own police statements at the center of the investigation.

Police were called just after 3 a.m. to a home on the 3000 block of Girard Avenue North after a woman reported that her boyfriend had been stabbed. Officers arrived to find the man unconscious on the kitchen floor. His girlfriend was holding a cloth against a wound on the left side of his chest, under his arm, while officers began lifesaving efforts. Minneapolis Fire Department paramedics later took over care, but the man was pronounced dead at 3:32 a.m. The girlfriend told investigators that the night had begun with food being made and eaten in the kitchen before Simms came into the room and became angry about the way his brother had cleaned up.

The complaint says two women were inside the home and described the argument to investigators. The victim’s girlfriend said she and the victim had made food and were still eating when Simms confronted him about not cleaning the kitchen. A second woman told police she heard Simms warn his brother, “If you don’t start cleaning up after yourself, it’s going to be an issue between you and me.” Investigators said Simms then left the kitchen, went downstairs and returned with a knife. The brothers shoved each other, witnesses said, and the confrontation became physical. The women told police they next saw Simms standing with a bloody knife as his brother said words to the effect of, “He just stabbed me.”

The fatal wound appears to have come from a single knife strike to the chest area, according to the early account in the charging records. Police said the victim was not armed when the stabbing occurred. A knife was recovered from the kitchen area after officers searched the home. The girlfriend tried to stop the bleeding by pressing cloth to the wound while Simms ran away from the kitchen, investigators said. The victim was already unconscious when officers arrived. Authorities have not released the victim’s age, and the Hennepin County Medical Examiner was expected to determine the official cause and manner of death. Police have not reported any other injuries from the fight.

Officers found Simms in the basement, where police said he was hiding beneath the stairs. A wooden panel had been set up in a way that created a blind spot, according to the complaint. Simms was taken into custody inside the home. He was later read his Miranda rights and agreed to speak with investigators. Police said his account changed during questioning. He first said he could not remember what happened and had blacked out. Investigators said he then acknowledged an argument about the kitchen and admitted that he grabbed a knife. At one point, police said, he claimed he meant to “fake” stab his brother and that his brother charged at him and ran into the knife.

Prosecutors filed two second-degree murder counts in Hennepin County District Court. One count alleges murder with intent but without premeditation. Another alleges murder without intent while committing a felony. Under Minnesota law, second-degree murder can carry a sentence of up to 40 years in prison if a defendant is convicted. The charges are allegations, and Simms is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. Records identified Simms as being from Chicago, though the complaint says he and his brother were both living at the Minneapolis home at the time. His first court appearance was scheduled for May 4, shortly after the May 1 filing.

The case began as a domestic call but quickly became a homicide investigation inside a home near North Girard and 30th avenues. The scene described in court records was narrow and ordinary: a kitchen where food had just been prepared, a basement stairway, a knife recovered near the room where the argument took place. Witnesses gave police similar accounts of the argument and its sudden turn. The girlfriend described hearing the victim identify Simms as the person who stabbed him, while the second woman described seeing blood on the victim’s hands after hearing the brothers argue. Police did not say the dispute involved money, drugs or a long-running feud.

Investigators have not said whether additional forensic testing is pending on the knife, clothing or kitchen area. The complaint relies heavily on witness statements, the recovery of the weapon and Simms’ post-arrest interview. Prosecutors will have to prove not only that Simms caused the fatal injury but also the mental state tied to the murder counts. The defense could focus on the shifting account Simms gave police, the physical struggle and his claim that he did not intend to kill his brother. No public report indicated that a plea had been entered in the immediate days after the charge was filed.

For now, the case remains in Hennepin County District Court, where the next steps include court appearances, attorney filings and possible rulings on evidence. The victim’s identity remained withheld in early reports, leaving the court record centered on what happened inside the home in the minutes before police arrived. Simms remained jailed on the $1 million bond as of the latest reported update.

Author note: Last updated May 24, 2026.