Less than five years after a manslaughter conviction, a St. Paul man is back in a Ramsey County courtroom, this time accused of fatally shooting a 27-year-old in a downtown apartment.
Michael Cordell Garland, 26, is charged in the April 30 killing of Adarius Steven Glees, who was found with a gunshot wound inside an apartment on the 200 block of East Seventh Street. Investigators say Glees managed to call 911 after he was shot and was rushed to Regions Hospital, where he later died. According to the criminal complaint and related records, detectives say Garland’s cellphone activity helps place him near the scene that night.
The Ramsey County complaint charges Garland with one count of second-degree intentional murder and one count of second-degree unintentional murder, as reported by the Pioneer Press. Prosecutors allege Garland shot Glees inside the apartment, then took off, and that cellphone location data tracks his phone to the area around the time of the gunfire. Authorities have not publicly gone beyond the motive details outlined in the charging document.
Officers were called around 8:50 p.m. April 30 to the 200 block of Seventh Street East and arrived to find Glees with a gunshot wound. He was taken to Regions Hospital, where he died, according to WCCO. Police told the station there was no ongoing threat to the public after the shooting. Detectives are still working to fill in what led up to the fatal encounter.
What the complaint alleges
The complaint, described in reporting by the Pioneer Press, lays out a detailed snapshot of the evening. It states Garland called the woman who lived in the apartment a little after 7 p.m., and that her phone called his again around 8:40 p.m. Investigators say data shows Garland’s phone arriving in the area roughly six minutes after that second call.
When officers entered the apartment, they found Glees on the floor with a gunshot wound to the chest. A 911 recording cited in the complaint reportedly captures Glees yelling, “your baby dad just shot me, bro!” as he struggled to explain what had happened.
Prior conviction and supervision
Public court records show Garland was convicted of first-degree manslaughter in July 2021 and received a sentence of nearly nine years, according to the Minnesota Courts public access system. State corrections records list his supervised release date as late June 2025 and indicate he was under county supervision at the time of his arrest in the new case, per the Minnesota Department of Corrections.
The complaint also notes that Glees had been in an on-and-off relationship with a woman who shares a 6-year-old son with Garland, a personal connection that now sits at the center of the unfolding case.
What's next in court
Garland was scheduled for an initial court appearance Friday afternoon. The complaint is a charging document, not a finding of guilt, and the allegations have not been proven in court. He is presumed innocent unless and until a conviction is returned. Prosecutors have declined to comment beyond what is laid out in the filing while investigators continue to gather evidence.
The killing marked St. Paul’s fourth homicide of the year, a metric local officials highlighted as detectives chase down leads, according to WCCO. Anyone with information is urged to contact St. Paul police or the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office as the investigation continues.
