St. Cloud Man Pleads Guilty to Throwing Fatal Punch

ST. CLOUD -- A St. Cloud man has pleaded guilty to 1st-degree manslaughter after delivering a single punch that killed another man last August.

Twenty-two-year-old Travis Johnson was facing a charge of 2nd Degree Murder without intent while committing a felony but an amended criminal complaint allowed for the manslaughter guilty plea. The murder charge is expected to be dismissed.

The criminal complaint says in the early morning hours August 5, 2017, officers were called to the area of 9th Avenue South and 7th Street South for a report of an assault. The victim, 22-year-old Anthony Shriver of Waconia, was struck in the face by another man which knocked him unconscious.

Witnesses gave officers a description of the suspect and police later found Johnson.

Officers say Shriver had no recollection of the incident when they talked to him. He complained that his head hurt but he declined medical attention.

A surveillance video showed Shriver was struck from the side as he was walking away from Johnson.

Records show officers were called to the 2200 block of 10th Avenue South that afternoon where Shriver was found unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at 1:10 p.m. An autopsy by the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office showed Shriver died of "traumatic head injuries due to physical assault."

Johnson will be sentenced in December.