Two individuals, including a man already in custody on other charges and a woman who appeared in court on Friday, are facing attempted murder charges in connection to an assault on a Litchfield man. The attack occurred on March 15, 2024, when the victim was assaulted with a double-bladed ax and a baseball bat during an attempted robbery. Cassidy Marie Lunz, 21, from Willmar, is charged in Meeker County District Court with second-degree attempted murder, aggravated robbery, and two counts of first-degree burglary. These charges relate to her alleged involvement in the crime, though she is charged with aiding and abetting.
Lunz’s co-defendant, Tre Anthony Ertl, 26, of Litchfield, is facing similar charges in this case. Ertl is already awaiting trial for a separate robbery and assault case involving an attempt on another man’s life. He has been in custody since July 2024 on a $4 million bail. In the March assault, Ertl and an unidentified man, later identified as Joshua Velez (who died in a car crash in June 2024), allegedly attacked the Litchfield man in an apparent robbery attempt.
The victim, who owned the residence but did not live there, was found covered in blood with deep lacerations to his head and body. He told officers that two men and a woman attacked him, though he did not know their names at the time. Police later recovered a baseball bat and ax, both with blood on them, along with a duffle bag containing Velez’s identification and drug paraphernalia.
In an interview, Lunz stated that she had been invited to the residence by a friend to distract the victim while Velez attempted to steal money. However, she claimed she did not know that violence would occur. DNA evidence linked Lunz to the baseball bat, leading to her arrest. She is currently being held in the Meeker County Jail on a $750,000 bail.