Minnesota native turned Napa Valley vintner dies in suspected murder-suicide

A man who moved from Minnesota to California and set up several wine businesses has died in a suspected murder-suicide.

According to the Mail Online, vintner Robert Dahl allegedly fatally shot one of his investors, Emad Tawfilis, in a dispute over money, and is then believed to have taken his own life as he fled police.

The incident happened Monday morning at Dahl's Napa Valley vineyard, the website notes, where the two are said to have met to discuss a $1.2 million loan dispute. Tawfilis was suing Dahl, claiming he had been defrauded out of his investment.

The father of three was the owner of Dahl Vineyards, which he started building in 2013 and opened last summer after several years running winery and craft brewery businesses in California, according to its website.

The Napa Valley Register reported in 2012 that Dahl had moved to the West Coast after running a chemical manufacturing company in Minnesota.

According to the Napa Wine Project, Dahl had intended to open a vineyard in Minnesota, but found it difficult to secure permits. However, he brought a piece of Minnesota with him, exclusively using Minnesota White Oak for his barrels, which the website said was a first for the Napa Valley.

The Minnesota native is thought to still have family and friends in the state.

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat spoke to Dahl's attorney Kousha Berokim, who said he had met with Dahl and Tawfilis earlier on Monday to discuss the dispute, during which the pair agreed to "work out their differences and a timetable so they can ultimately come to a deal."

"I was not expecting or suspecting any violence," Berokim told the newspaper. "I don’t know what happened."