“Minnesota Monster” is a true crime documentary produced by FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul that details the case of Aaron Hjermstad, a former physical education teacher and youth basketball coach.
Over more than a decade, Hjermstad abused at least 127 young boys. He gained the trust of families, hosted sleepovers and video game nights, and frequently drugged his victims with sedatives.
Although initial reports were made to schools and child protection services as early as 2015, institutional failures and poor background checks allowed him to keep moving to new positions. He was first convicted in 2021 and sentenced to 12 years. While on supervised release, he fled Minnesota and was arrested during a traffic stop in Idaho. Police discovered encrypted hard drives and cameras in his car containing detailed logs, videos, and initials cataloging 127 unique victims.
He pleaded guilty to multiple counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and received a life sentence, with a mandatory minimum of 30 years before becoming eligible for parole.-he investigative documentary focuses heavily on the systemic gaps that allowed a prolific predator to slip through the cracks of the education system for years.
