A Pine County judge has rejected a Cambridge man's bid to avoid criminal responsibility for killing his father, ruling that while he suffered genuine psychosis at the time of the shooting, he still understood what he was doing and knew it was wrong. Kirk Edward Hazlett III, 31, now faces a mandatory life sentence after being convicted of premeditated first-degree murder, intentional second-degree murder and two counts of kidnapping.
The ruling, issued by District Ten Judge Jason R. Steffen, closes the second phase of a bifurcated trial that first determined Hazlett III's guilt and then weighed whether he qualified for a not-guilty-by-reason-of-mental-illness defense, according to the Isanti-Chisago County Star. The judge found that Hazlett III had psychosis at the time of the offense, but had failed to prove it stemmed from a qualifying mental illness rather than voluntary substance use.
The case traces back to November 15, 2024, when deputies were dispatched to a reported shooting on the 57000 block of Barns Spring Road in Hinckley at approximately 8:44 p.m., per the same outlet's earlier report. Prosecutors say Hazlett III shot his father, Kirk Edward Hazlett II, several times in the head and back with a handgun at a family hunting cabin, a killing that CBS Minnesota reported took place at his uncle's cabin in Hinckley. A preliminary postmortem examination of the elder Hazlett found nine gunshot wounds, the Star reported in its initial coverage of the case.
Kidnapping, an Indictment, and Escalating Charges
Authorities say Hazlett III held his uncle and another man at gunpoint while he killed his father. Pine County Attorney Reese Frederickson called a grand jury to determine probable cause on first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree burglary and two kidnapping counts, and the panel indicted Hazlett III on all charges. Hometown Source identified the two kidnapping victims as his uncle, Mark Hazlett, and Mark Hazlett's friend, Justin Hornung.
By July 2025, Judge Steffen found Hazlett III guilty of premeditated first-degree murder, intentional second-degree murder and both kidnapping counts, but did not find him guilty of first-degree burglary. That set the stage for the trial's second phase in August 2025, which turned entirely on whether Hazlett III's mental state at the time of the killing excused his criminal responsibility.
Experts Agreed on Psychosis, Disagreed on the Cause
According to the Star's reporting, experts on both sides agreed Hazlett III had genuine psychotic symptoms beginning roughly 11 months before the offense, and that his paranoia grew more pronounced, erratic and aggressive over time. Hazlett III admitted to daily marijuana use beginning in January 2024 that continued until the night of the killing, along with significant alcohol use and prescription Adderall use.
His delusional beliefs reportedly emerged at the same time he began frequent cannabis use, and his symptoms were no longer present after about two months in jail. Dr. Alex Yufik acknowledged that heavy cannabis use can cause hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking and paranoia — symptoms associated with brief psychotic disorder — though Hazlett III had no history of psychosis before his heavy cannabis use began, per the same account. The prosecution disagreed with an initial psychologist's report favoring a mental illness finding and hired another expert, who determined that Hazlett III's psychosis at the time of the offense was caused by voluntary substance use rather than a qualifying mental illness, and concluded he was criminally responsible.
Notably, Hazlett III had received ADHD medication care from providers for more than eight years and saw a therapist consistently for about four years. Neither his providers nor his therapist had previously noted concerns about psychosis or related symptoms, the court's findings state.
Why the Court Rejected the Insanity Defense
The court determined that Hazlett III knew what he was doing when he killed his father and confined the two eyewitnesses, and it stated that responsibility would only be excused if an illness caused him not to know the nature of his act or that it was wrong. The judge considered Hazlett III's decision not to kill the two eyewitnesses — whom he reportedly did not blame the way he blamed his father — as evidence he understood that killing was morally wrong.
The findings also note that the defense failed to prove Hazlett III's psychotic symptoms arose from a qualifying mental illness rather than voluntary substance use, and that mental illness caused by voluntary intoxication is generally not a legal defense. Minnesota law, under Statute 609.075, states that voluntary intoxication does not make an act less criminal, though it may be considered when a particular intent or state of mind is an element of the crime.
With the first-degree murder conviction carrying a mandatory life sentence, Hazlett III's sentencing is expected to be held in February 2027, according to the Star's reporting — though that date is described only as a likely expectation, not a confirmed hearing. KSTP had earlier reported on the initial charges following the cabin shooting that left Kirk Edward Hazlett II, 62, dead.
