Posted on Fri, Nov. 22, 2002
BURNSVILLE: Slain counselor of abuse victims honored
BY AMY SHERMAN Pioneer Press

As a volunteer counselor for abuse victims, Cheryl Thompson likely knew that women are more likely to die at the hands of someone who intimately knows them, rather than a stranger or acquaintance. But in a park last month, authorities say a man Thompson barely knew suffocated the 27-year-old Burnsville woman. He had taken a liking to her car.

Last year, 33 women in Minnesota were murdered by a husband or boyfriend, according to the Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women. Two women were murdered by acquaintances. So far this year, 14 women were murdered by someone "intimate" while five were slain at the hands of a stranger or acquaintance.

The coalition recently honored Thompson posthumously for her volunteer work with Fairview WomanKind, which offers support and referrals for female and male victims of abuse.

"She was working with women in risk of losing their lives, and she happens to lose her life. It was just heartbreaking," said Danielle Kluz, spokeswoman for the Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women. "Right now we need women like Cheryl out there on the front lines helping women."

Brian Batchelor, 19, knew Thompson because he sometimes stayed with his girlfriend, who lived in the same neighborhood. He apparently once babysat for Thompson's 3-year-old son, Aidan, Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom has said.

Why that acquaintance relationship led Batchelor to allegedly victimize Thompson is unclear. In October, he pleaded guilty to stealing Thompson's car and then allegedly told his girlfriend about a plot to rob and kill Thompson.

Batchelor told police he kidnapped Thompson at knifepoint Oct. 21 and drove her to a park. When she tried to scream for help, he suffocated her, bound her body with duct tape and dumped her behind a Burnsville church. Police found him the next day carrying Thompson's cash card and credit card.

On Tuesday, a Dakota County grand jury indicted Batchelor on multiple murder counts. He remains in the Dakota County jail. His defense attorney, Tom Blackmar, said he had no comment.

Thompson's family members and friends are trying to channel their grief into honoring Thompson's life. On Sunday, a benefit concert for Aidan is open to the public at Bogart's Place in Apple Valley where Thompson formerly worked. Aidan now mostly stays with Cheryl's father and also sees his father.

A single mother, Thompson worked night jobs at bars so she should go to school during the day. In September, she started a clinical doctorate program at Argosy University in Bloomington and planned a career working with troubled youth. The school is now planning a scholarship in Thompson's memory.

The staff at Fairview WomanKind, where Thompson was a volunteer the past few months, is creating a book to show Aidan how his mother helped abuse victims. Thompson carried a pager with her so she could be summoned to Southdale Hospital to counsel people.

"She was extremely thorough," said Kathy Tenquist, her supervisor. "She would offer them emotional support and resources in the community."

Friends say Thompson was a bright, energetic woman who was happiest when she was around her son. "She was very dedicated to her son, very proud of him," said Brian Johnson, Thompson's boyfriend. "She would be working late at night, not get home to go to bed until 4 a.m., and she was up by 8 so she could play with him. She loved taking him for walks. She kind of classified him as a little genius. He was everything to her."