Minnesota Man Accused Of Attacking His Ex-Girlfriend At Her Job And Lighting Her On Fire

A Minnesota man is accused of attacking his ex-girlfriend, then dousing her with gasoline and lighting her on fire at her workplace as her horrified coworkers looked on.

Patrick Simmons, 47, is facing charges of second-degree murder in the death of his 44-year-old ex-girlfriend Kelli Goodermont.

St. Paul Police officers were called to a business park just before 9:00 a.m. Tuesday after receiving a report about a woman on fire at a shipping warehouse, according to a statement from police.

They arrived to find Goodermont “unresponsive and not breathing” as well as badly burned. She was pronounced dead at the scene by Saint Paul Fire medics.

“Calls like these are absolutely shocking and devastating,” Natalie Davis, a spokesperson for the St. Paul Police told The Pioneer Press, describing the killing as a “senseless act of violence” that “will cause ripples of grief and pain to the victim’s loved ones and family.”

Goodermont’s coworkers at the warehouse told police they had seen Simmons talking “closely” with Goodermont before he allegedly punched her, knocked her to the ground and doused her with gasoline, according to a criminal complaint obtained by KSTP.

Witnesses reported seeing Goodermont light his ex-girlfriend on fire. One coworker later told police he had heard someone shouting “Fire! Fire!” and saw Goodermont lying on the ground while Simmons kicked her in the head, the complaint said.

The man grabbed a fire extinguisher and put out the blaze, but Goodermont was unresponsive. He told investigators that Simmons “looked crazed and had an evil look in his eyes” and tried to lunge at him before “casually” walking away, according to the court documents.

After arriving at the scene, St. Paul Police were “quickly” able to identify Simmons as the suspect and reached out to the Bloomington Police Department, where he lived.

When they got the call from St. Paul, Bloomington Police were already on their way to the scene of a fire at Simmon’s home, according to a statement from the Bloomington Police Department. Neighbors told police that they saw Simmons leaving the fire in a vehicle that was later spotted by officers.

Simmons got out of the vehicle and was taken into custody.

He later allegedly admitted to killing Goodermont — whom he had dated for 11 years — because he believed she was “a witch” and wanted “to stand up for the babies being killed and sacrificed with witchcraft,” according to the compliant.

He allegedly told investigators that he stabbed his ex in the neck with a knife to “make sure” she was dead, and that he set his own home ablaze because of paranormal activity there.

The scene where Kelli Goodermont was found. Photo: Saint Paul Police Department

Simmons had previously been charged with domestic assault after Goodermont told police in 2018 that, after he had been drinking all day, he had punched her in the face, kicked her and dragged her down the street over his suspicion that she had been flirting with a neighbor. He later pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct.

Simmons then allegedly held a loaded gun to her head last year, according to an application for a protection order filed last year for her daughters, according to the newspaper.

Goodermont wrote that Simmons “started having a psychotic break” last March and believed her roommate was a “witch/devil,” according to the court document obtained by the Pioneer Press.

Police were then called to Simmons' home twice in June. He had allegedly been “extremely fearful that green men with guns were climbing trees in his backyard and they were going to kill him,” according to an involuntary commitment order that was filed but stayed. On another, police found him pointing a gun out the back window of his home and he was brought to the hospital, the paper reports.

“As a result of his mental illness, (Simmons) poses a substantial likelihood of causing physical harm to others as evidenced by his recent psychotic symptoms,” court records stated.

At the time, Simmons had agreed to a treatment plan at a psychiatric treatment facility that authorities believed would allow him to be “appropriately treated” which is why the order for his involuntary commitment was stayed.

The protection order for her daughters was dismissed in July after Goodermont testified that she felt safe and no longer needed the order. 

Simmons’ father, Fred Simmons, told KSTP he was “heartbroken” by the killing.

“He had a big heart but drugs and alcohol turned him upside down,” he said.

Goodermont’s ex-husband, Tyler Goodermont, described his ex-wife to The Pioneer Press as a good mother, who had been a loving person.

“Her life ended too early,” he said.