35 years since law school grad found dead in St. Paul home, homicide still unsolved

Thirty-five years after a law school graduate was found killed in his St. Paul home, his homicide remains unsolved.

Robert Spann, 27, graduated from William Mitchell College of Law (now Mitchell Hamline) and was president of the Black Law Students Association.

“Today we remember Robert Spann and his loved ones,” said Alyssa Arcand, a St. Paul police spokeswoman, on Thursday. “Thirty-five years without closure for this case is 35 years too long. … Even the smallest piece of information could lead to justice for Robert.”

Spann lived with his girlfriend, who was a Minneapolis city attorney, on Marshall Avenue between Milton and Victoria streets, according to a Pioneer Press article from the week of his homicide.

Spann’s girlfriend’s teenage son found his body in the basement when he retur