MINNEAPOLIS _ Prominent Twin Cities businessman Irwin Jacobs shot and killed his wife, Alexandra, before turning the gun on himself in a murder-suicide Wednesday at the couple's Lake Minnetonka home, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner has confirmed.
The cause of death for each was listed as "multiple gunshot wounds," according to the examiner's report.
The two were found dead Wednesday morning in their hilltop mansion overlooking Lake Minnetonka in Orono. The bodies were found in a bed, along with a gun. Both were 77.
Family friends said at the time that they believed the deaths were a murder-suicide, but Friday's confirmation ended speculation about the fate of the colorful, well-known businessman and his socially and philanthropically active wife.
Dennis Mathisen, a longtime family friend, said Alexandra Jacobs "had been in a wheelchair for the last year or so and had signs of dementia. Irwin was just distraught over her condition."
Irwin Jacobs for much of his career was a nationally known investor who looked for unrecognized value in companies and sometimes made huge profits with short-term stock trades. Alexandra Jacobs was an accomplished painter and a devoted mother and grandmother who avoided the limelight that her husband often relished.
Irwin Jacobs made a fortune as a corporate raider who bought and liquidated failing companies at a profit. For more than 40 years, he owned J.R. Watkins Co., the Winona-based maker of soaps and other household products that are sold around the country. He also owned Jacobs Trading Co. in Hopkins, a retailer specializing in liquidation of merchandise, and at various times owned other businesses in a variety of industries, including a piece of the Minnesota Vikings
Alexandra Jacobs was active in PACER Center and Courage Center, which serves people with disabilities.
"We are heartbroken by this loss, and we ask that our privacy be respected as we grieve during this very difficult time," the couple's five children said in a statement earlier this week, adding that they were shocked and devastated.
The Jacobs children declined further comment at the time.
