Ledesma's preliminary hearing is continued

• Christopher Ledesma

Christopher Soriano Ledesma has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide for the shooting death of a 19-year-old Hudson, Wis. woman in September 2008. File photo

Talk about it

The preliminary hearing of Christopher Soriano Ledesma, 29, accused in the shooting death of a 19-year-old Maplewood, Minn. woman, was continued Monday.

Ledesma was charged with one felony count of first-degree intentional homicide in connection with the shooting death of Kelly Lynn Dahm, whose body was found in a car Sept. 20, 2008 in Hudson.

Prosecutor Frank Collins requested a continued hearing because a witness was ill and unable to appear. Judge Eric J. Lundell set the next session for May 26 at 2:30 p.m.

Dahm's body was found in an abandoned Chevrolet Malibu in the upper parking lot at the St. Croix County Government Center, which houses the courtrooms.

Ledesma had previously pleaded guilty, on Feb. 9, to a felony weapons charge stemming from his arrest in Woodbury. He was sentenced by Washington County District Judge Mary Hanson to five years in prison for the weapons charge. A related charge of making terroristic threats was dropped as a part of a plea agreement with the Washington County Attorney’s office.

The weapons charge guilty plea stems from the Sept. 20, 2008 incident when Ledesma was arrested outside his parents’ home in Woodbury, the same night Hudson authorities found his ex-girlfriend’s body in a car parked in the government center parking lot in Hudson. Authorities determined she died of gunshot wounds.

Ledesma was arrested that night at 8 p.m., a short time before authorities found the body of Kelly Dahm, 19.

Police records state that Woodbury police called the Hudson Police Department the night of Ledesma’s arrest around 10:30 p.m., and told them to look for a vehicle. Hudson police found it with Dahm’s body inside.

According to Woodbury police reports on the Woodbury incident, Ledesma carried a firearm illegally and threatened family members with his demeanor while at his parents’ residence in the 600 block of Meadow Lane.

Hudson police have said they believe Ledesma shot Dahm in the vehicle and then got a ride to Woodbury. When arrested, he was on probation for a 1996 assault conviction in Wisconsin.

Woodbury Bulletin staff writer Hank Long contributed to this story.

Tags: news, wisconsin, woodbury, ledesma, dahm, huson, homicide, police, collins