A Minnesota man who climbed a tree to hide from police after shooting his ex-girlfriend in the face has been sentenced to more than three decades behind bars.
Craig Hameister, 45, was handed a 415-month prison sentence — roughly 34 and a half years — on Monday for the murder of Melissa Hunt, 36.
What happened that day?
On June 18, 2025, Hameister shot Hunt at a boat launch in Kellogg, Minnesota. Despite being shot in the face and suffering devastating injuries — including missing teeth and part of her jaw — Hunt managed to drive herself to a nearby home and call for help.
When first responders arrived, she told them Hameister “hit her with a stick.” She was rushed to the hospital, where she later died.
The tree. The gun. The arrest.
While Hunt fought for her life, police tracked Hameister to a property in Chatfield, Minnesota, where residents told officers he had shown up looking “very frantic” and said “something bad happened.”
Officers found him hiding in a tree on the property. At the base of the tree sat the 9mm handgun he used to kill Hunt.
In his own words
In March, Hameister pleaded guilty to second-degree intentional murder. Standing before the court, he said plainly: “I shot Melissa Hunt in the face.” He admitted he intended to kill her.
The sentence
On Monday, a judge sentenced Hameister to serve his time at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in St. Cloud. He received credit for 327 days already served and was ordered to pay $10,134.97 in restitution.
Melissa Hunt was 36 years old.
