A 63-year-old Minnesota man has been charged with gross misdemeanor DWI after authorities say he attempted to pick up a dead body for transport last month while under the influence of alcohol.
Rocky Koehn said her father passed away surrounded by loved ones, but when it came time to have his body collected and begin funeral arraignments, everything went south in a hurry.
“I went 36 hours without sleep to be at my dad’s bedside, giving him medication every hour — It was hard,” Koehn said. “So on Sunday, we were all there, my brother, sister, our spouses, my daughter, and it was, I mean, we were tired, we were exhausted — I held my dad in my arms as he took his last breath.”
Koehn’s mother had worked with Koop Funeral Home prior to the passing of her father, and they waited patiently for a representative to arrive. Koehn said a little while later, Nicholas Gordon Zillmer, owner of Koop’s Funeral Home, arrived at the residence. She said he looked disheveled and “flopped down in his chair” and asked everyone in the room “What are we doing here?”
“I was like, ‘What in God’s name,’” Koehn said. “My mom used to be the mayor of Crosby, so she’s had dealings with Nick, outside of them making arrangements for my dad’s funeral. So it’s not the first time they had ever met. It was so off-putting that he’s like, ‘What are we doing here?’ My dad has passed away, and I just thought it was kind of strange that he made that comment.”
Arrested For DWI
Koehn said Zillmer repeatedly cut off conversations with her mother and showed signs of intoxication. Koehn’s brother told Zillmer to leave, and when he refused, Koehn excused herself to another room and called police. When authorities arrived, they spoke to Zillmer outside. Officers also noted signs of intoxication, and a preliminary breath test revealed that he had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.17. A subsequent test at the station found that he had a BAC of 0.19.
While officers were conducting their investigation, Koehn said her family called Brenny Funeral & Cremation and someone compassionate was there within the hour.
“I explained everything to him and he was there within 45 minutes,” Koehn said. “He walked in, he introduced himself, he walked over to my dad, put his hand on my dad’s shoulder and kind of bowed his head. He showed my dad so much grace and respect. He showed us respect. He did what we expected should have been done.”
Zillmer, who has owned the 112-year-old Koop Funeral Home with his wife, Mary, since 1986, posted a $12,000 bond without conditions and is no longer in custody. He is due back in court on April 4.
Dignity and respect are two qualities we work hard to provide to every client who walks in our doors, because we know they are going through a lot in the moment. The same should hold true for those in the funeral industry, but it is clear Koehn and her family received none of that.
If you are looking for assistance in your time of need, we hope you’ll turn to the criminal defense attorneys at Appelman Law Firm at (952) 224-2277.
