On July 25, 2024, at 2:28 a.m., Duluth police and firefighters responded to a report of a structure fire at 601 North 47th Avenue East, in the Lakeside neighborhood.

At 2:48 a.m., firefighters discovered 25-year-old Maxton Gudowski, deceased, in Apartment 1. Gudowski appeared to have been stabbed multiple times, and a pair of scissors was found near the body. There was also evidence that someone had set fire to the apartment.

Investigators found a handwritten note for someone named “Quan,” which appeared to have been written by Gudowski, and, under Gudowski’s body, a pair of white sunglasses.

Investigators also located a receipt from Centricity Credit Union in Gudowski’s wallet. When they interviewed credit union employees, they learned that Gudowski and an “agitated” and “impatient” unknown male had cashed a check there on July 22.

Gudowski’s companion wore white sunglasses in the credit union’s security footage. Police shared a screen capture of the unknown male with colleagues, as a person of interest in their investigation.

On July 25, at 2:33 p.m., the person of interest was found by police; he was sitting downtown, near Lake Place Park. His shoes and tattoos also matched those of the male who had accompanied Gudowski to the credit union.

After initially giving police a false name of Quan Garegnani, the person of interest identified himself as Tyler Walter Edwards.

A criminal history

Police discovered that Edwards had a felony conviction out of Hennepin County. For drugging and raping a woman he met in a bar, Edwards had been sentenced to four years in prison for Third Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct on March 11, 2024.

As part of a plea agreement, Judge Carolina Lamas stayed the prison time and placed Edwards on supervised probation for three years. In her ruling, Judge Lamas noted that Edwards showed remorse and accepted responsibility. She also indicated that Edwards’ plea agreement would “prevent trauma to [the] witness from testifying.”

Hennepin County had issued a warrant for Edwards on May 2, 2024, when he was found to have violated his terms of probation. In addition to failing to report to his probation officer, Edwards also failed to register as a predatory offender and to submit a sample of his DNA.

Taken into custody

When Duluth police arrested Edwards for the warrant violation, they also cited him for providing a false name to police. Investigators also took the opportunity to collect Edwards’  DNA, using finger swabs, and confiscated his clothing, to check for the presence of fire accelerants.

The police secured a second warrant on July 25 to collect information about a “person of interest in a homicide investigation” from the Clear Path Detoxification Clinic (at 1402 East Superior Street). Edwards was not mentioned by name in this warrant.

On July 29, Edwards was transported to the Hennepin County Jail, where he was held without bond.

According to Hennepin County jail records, Edwards was released from the jail and “committed” on Aug. 9, 2024.

There is no further information about Edwards available on the Minnesota Department of Corrections website.

As of Aug. 22, 2024, no charges have been filed in connection with Maxton Gudowski’s suspected homicide.

Tyler Edwards has a hearing scheduled in St. Louis County District Court on Sept. 3, 2024, for providing a false name to police—a misdemeanor.

Update, Sept. 1, 2024. Today, Duluth police issued a press release stating that Tyler Edwards has been charged with 2nd Degree Murder, 1st Degree Arson, 2nd Degree Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, and Interference with a Dead Body in connection with Maxton Gudowski’s death.

Cover photo: Tyler Edwards. Source: Hennepin County Jail