Naman Shrestha
When a 19-year-old mother named Cheyenne Clough died a few miles away from her house in Maple Lake, Minnesota, the entire community was shaken to its core. As the investigation began, the list of suspects increased, making it a complicated case for the detectives to solve. Thanks to the multiple tips, the killers were caught in time. The episode titled ‘Minnesota Vicious’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Mean Girl Murders’ chronicles the entire case and the investigation that ensued over the next couple of years. It also features insightful interviews with people closest to Cheyenne and related to the case.
Cheyenne Clough Was Found Severely Injured at a Park
On April 4, 1997, in Fridley, Minnesota, Marry Bliskowski and John Wesley Clough welcomed a little bundle of joy into the world in the form of Cheyenne Lee Clough. Growing up alongside two sisters — Jessica and Nicole — Cheyenne was the light in her loved ones’ world as he has the ability to light up even the dullest of rooms. At the tender age of 15, she became a mother to her son Elijah, who turned into the apple of her eye. After moving out of her parents’ house, she moved to Maple Lake, where she shared a house with four people — Callie Anderson, Shawn Benson, Natasha Brandenburger, and Justin Jensen.
Soon, Cheyenne also found love and started dating a guy named Devon Boyles. With a bright future ahead of her, she was looking forward to achieving her dreams and making her family and friends proud. However, fate had other plans for her. After spending time with some of her friends on May 31, 2016, she was on the way to her house in the early hours of June 1. Around 2:45 am, she reportedly left a message for her mother, saying, “Are You Up? I’m on my way home.” However, she never made it home. Instead, the 19-year-old woman was found in critical condition in Crow Springs County Park near Montrose on June 1.
The first responders rushed her to the North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale immediately, but after three days, Cheyenne succumbed to her injuries on June 4. The autopsy reports revealed that the cause of her death was four gunshot wounds on her head, neck, and shoulder, with a .22 caliber weapon. As the homicide investigation was launched by the authorities, the Clough family set up a GoFundMe page for her son Elijah and his future.
Cheyenne Clough’s Killers Tried Crossing the Border to Get Away From the Police
Primarily, the police went straight to Cheyenne Clough’s place of residence in Maple Lake in order to interview her housemates and learn more about her and their whereabouts around the fateful day. However, when they found the house empty with none of her housemates present, they turned their attention towards two persons of interest. One was Cheyenne’s former boyfriend, Darrian Edwards, while the other was her current boyfriend, Devon Boyles. After interrogating both of them separately, the detectives eliminated them as possible suspects due to lack of evidence and their respective alibis.
With suspicions looming large over Natasha Brandenburger, Callie Anderson, Justin Jensen, and Shawn Benson, the authorities were able to locate them with the help of multiple tips and surveillance footage of a gas station as they were allegedly trying to flee to Canada. A few days after Cheyenne’s remains were discovered, the police arrested 28-year-old Justin, 33-year-old Natasha, 19-year-old Callie, and 21-year-old Shawn near International Falls. Another alleged accomplice in the crime, Edward Zelko, was also taken into custody in Staples. Furthermore, on June 7, 2016, 26-year-old Thomas Nicholson was arrested for obstructing the legal process by aiding an offender to avoid arrest. While Shawn was charged with second-degree murder, Justin and Edward were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
According to reports, in the late hours of May 31 or early June 1, 2016, Cheyenne got into an argument with some of her housemates after one of them got his boyfriend, Devon, arrested on an outstanding warrant by calling a bounty hunter. In her interrogation, Natasha claimed that Cheyenne also threatened to have Callie arrested on her outstanding warrant in return. This allegedly led to a physical fight between Cheyenne and Natasha. As per Natasha’s accounts, Justin then gave Shawn and Edward his stolen .22 pistol and ordered them to kill Cheyenne. Pretending to take her home, the two men convinced her to get inside the car and drove down to Crow Springs Park, where they killed her in the early hours of June 1.
Shawn Benson and Justin Jensen Are Incarcerated at the Same Minnesota Prison Facility
Nearly two years after the brutal murder of Cheyenne Clough, Justin Michael Jensen pleaded guilty on March 16, 2018, to aiding and abetting second-degree intentional murder. He reportedly entered an Alford plea, allowing him to maintain his innocence to some degree. On the other hand, Shawn Tyler Benson took a plea deal on March 20, admitting guilt for second-degree intentional murder. A couple of months later, on May 29, Shawn received a 40-year prison sentence for the killing of Cheyenne, followed by Justin being sentenced to 40 years in prison as well, on May 31.
While the former received credit for 721 days already served in prison, Justin received credit for 723 days spent in jail. Given the degree of his crime, Shawn was also ordered to pay $8,405 in restitution. Moreover, the third defendant, Edward Zelko, also pleaded guilty to the charges against him on June 24, 2018, and was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the same. As of today, both Shawn and Justin are serving their respective sentences at Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater in Bayport, Minnesota, with their anticipated release date scheduled for 2043.
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