A 49-year-old Burnsville man has agreed to serve a life sentence for fatally stabbing his girlfriend at her home last year, entering a guilty plea to first-degree murder just weeks after a Dakota County judge vacated the no-contact order meant to keep him away from her. Jason Philip Filas pleaded guilty in Dakota County District Court to killing 32-year-old Danielle Grace Warren, who was stabbed to death at her home on the 2000 block of 117th Street E. on May 7, 2025.
Filas entered what is known in Minnesota as a Norgaard plea on September 19, a legal mechanism that allowed him to plead guilty and accept full criminal responsibility for first-degree murder while committing domestic abuse with a past pattern of domestic abuse, even as he maintained he had no memory of the stabbing itself, according to CBS News. As reported by the Minnesota Star Tribune, the plea agreement calls for a mandatory life sentence with the possibility of parole after 30 years, and Filas is scheduled for formal sentencing Monday.
A No-Contact Order Vacated Weeks Before the Killing
Court records reviewed by the Star Tribune detail a pattern of escalating conflict in the weeks before Warren's death. During a March 13, 2025 argument, Filas grabbed Warren by her hair and pulled her head down, then physically struggled with her while taking her cellphone, according to a court filing cited by the paper; Warren told investigators at the time that she feared Filas would hurt her. On April 2, 2025, Filas violated a no-contact order after Burnsville police stopped him for speeding with Warren in his car.
A hearing on the no-contact order was held April 23, 2025, in Dakota County District Court, where Judge Matthew Schmidt vacated the order. Filas's defense attorney, Erin Powers, told the judge that Warren wanted the order lifted, considered Filas a wonderful father, had never been physically harmed by him, and was not fearful of him, per the court transcript. The city attorney's office did not object to lifting the order, and Filas pleaded guilty to violating it while pledging to remain law-abiding. Warren was killed roughly two weeks later.
Frantic Calls and a Chase Through Lakeville
According to the criminal complaint, Warren's sister contacted police after Warren called her saying Filas was on-site and freaking out, reportedly upset after seeing another man leave the home that morning. Warren then called her sister again and pretended to be speaking with 911 dispatchers, saying, “He has a knife! Call 911! Call 911!” Filas picked up the phone instead and told her, “She never should have cheated on me. You better call 911,” the complaint states.
When officers arrived, they saw Warren unresponsive through a window and found her with several wounds; Filas was not there. Police later spotted a 12-inch kitchen knife in a hallway of the home. Two children, ages 5 and 9 months at the time, were inside during the killing. Filas had remotely monitored a security camera at the residence, according to the complaint.
Burnsville police alerted other agencies to look for Filas, and a Lakeville officer stopped him for speeding on Kenwood Trail. Filas initially complied before fleeing on foot, prompting officers to deploy a Taser to take him into custody, according to Patch. Following his May 2025 arrest, Dakota County District Court Judge Timothy McManus set his bail at $2 million with conditions. Filas's next court appearance was scheduled in Hastings, per the outlet's reporting.
From Second-Degree Charges to a Grand Jury Indictment
Filas was initially charged with second-degree intentional murder in May 2025. That charge was escalated in October 2025 when a Dakota County grand jury indicted him on two counts of first-degree murder — premeditated murder and murder during domestic abuse with a past pattern of domestic abuse — according to CBS News. Minnesota law requires grand jury indictments for first-degree murder offenses that carry mandatory life terms.
Court records show Filas had two prior misdemeanor domestic assault convictions involving Warren as the victim before the fatal stabbing, according to KROC-AM. An autopsy conducted by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office determined Warren suffered a minimum of nine stab wounds to her face, neck, and upper torso, concluding her death was caused by homicidal violence, according to Bring Me the News.
A Mother of Three, and a Statewide Pattern
Warren was survived by three children — ages 10, 5, and 9 months at the time of her death — with the two youngest present in the home during the attack but physically unharmed, per the same outlet's reporting. Violence Free Minnesota recorded Warren as the state's sixth confirmed victim of intimate partner homicide in 2025; statewide, the organization tallied 31 known victims and two suspicious-death victims lost to domestic violence that year, according to a statement cited by the Star Tribune. The organization plans to release details about the deaths and memorials on October 1.
Under Minnesota Statute 629.75, a Domestic Abuse No Contact Order can only be modified or vacated by a judge, and violating one is a separate criminal offense from other release conditions, according to the Minnesota Revisor's Office. The framework underscores the weight placed on judicial decisions like the one that lifted Filas's order weeks before Warren's death.
Dakota County residents affected by domestic violence can reach 360 Communities' Lewis House, which operates 24-hour emergency shelter and advocacy services in Burnsville and surrounding communities. The Minnesota Day One hotline also operates around the clock for people experiencing sexual violence, domestic violence, other crimes, or trafficking, and can be reached at 866-223-1111 or by texting 612-399-9995.
