A Proctor man who fired more than three dozen shots at his live-in girlfriend during a domestic incident last year has pleaded guilty to attempted premeditated first-degree murder.
Rusty George Kallis, 41, averted a trial on 10 felony charges in entering the eleventh-hour plea Wednesday. Attorneys were already a day into the jury selection process when he accepted an agreement with the St. Louis County Attorney's Office.
Authorities said Kallis threatened the woman and two children with an AR-15 before unloading a volley of gunfire at his girlfriend, with multiple shots striking a house across the street. He also pointed the rifle at a neighbor while fleeing the scene, according to court documents.
While pleading guilty to a single count, with the remaining charges dismissed, prosecutor Rebekka Stumme said Kallis acknowledged for the court record that the case involved four victims.
Kallis will face a guideline term of 200 months in prison when he appears for sentencing before 6th Judicial District Judge Theresa Neo on Jan. 18.
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According to court documents:
The incident started on the afternoon of Nov. 26, 2016, at the couple's residence on the 100 block of Fifth Street in Proctor.
The girlfriend reported that she and Kallis had been in an argument the night before and that she and the children had left the house for several hours, coming home to find Kallis apparently intoxicated and passed out. She said he woke up and began insulting her.
The woman said she was trying to leave with the children when Kallis went to the garage and returned with the AR-15, which was normally kept in a secure location inside the house. She said he pointed the weapon at her and began threatening her.
The children were able to leave the residence, seeking out safety at a nearby bar and calling 911. However, the girlfriend reported that Kallis ordered her to stay, at one point firing several rounds from the weapon into the kitchen floor.
At some point, Kallis left the room and the victim took the opportunity to flee from the back door. The woman said she could hear gunfire behind her as she ran to a neighbor's house for safety.
Kallis was located and taken into custody a few blocks away at Midway Avenue and Brook Street in Duluth. A nearby resident called 911 to report that she had been outside when a man came by, pointed a firearm at her and told her to go inside or he would shoot her.
Investigators said they recovered an AR-15 in the area and conducted a sweep of the crime scene, finding 38 shell casings inside and outside the residence. A pickup truck in the driveway was found with 19 bullet holes. A residence across the street, where a family was home watching television, was struck twice.
