Man accused of killing fiancee appears in court

BALSAM LAKE (AP) - Prosecutors in northwestern Wisconsin say a man with a violent criminal history was freed from the Polk County Jail on a reduced bail and two weeks later brutally killed his fiancee.

Medical personnel and police testified during a preliminary hearing Tuesday about the extensive injuries to 47-year-old Kari Roberts. Her body was found in her Milltown apartment Dec. 1. A criminal complaint says 45-year-old Scott Youngmark stabbed Roberts in the hips and thighs, fractured bones in her face and caused other sharp force injuries.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press says 15 days before Roberts was found slain, a judge lowered Youngmark's bond for bail jumping from $10,000 to $500. Court records show Roberts' violent behavior includes a long list of convictions in Minnesota dating back to 1986.