Latest news with #HennepinCountyAttorney'sOffice
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Police: Fatal Golden Valley crash not road rage, but charges still pending
Police: Fatal Golden Valley crash not road rage, but charges still pending originally appeared on Bring Me The News. Homicide charges are pending against a driver accused of fatally striking a man as he exited his vehicle in Golden Valley late Friday, according to authorities. The Golden Valley Police Department's investigative unit has submitted the case to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office for consideration of criminal vehicular homicide charges, Asst. Police Chief Rudy Perez confirmed Monday afternoon. The fatal incident happened shortly before midnight Friday on Highway 100 and escalated on Duluth Street, police said. While initially described by police as a "road rage incident," Perez said the investigation is not considered a road rage investigation and "road rage" was only used in the police statement because of the initial call officers received. Perez confirmed the victim was struck by a driver as he exited his vehicle and all parties involved in the incident knew each other. Multiple suspects were detained in connection with the incident and taken to North Memorial Hospital for evaluation and treatment, along with witnesses, police said. According to the Star Tribune, family has identified the victim as 42-year-old Michael Lawver. His sister, Carrie Remiarz, wrote on GoFundMe that her brother appeared to be driving erratically before he got out of his vehicle because he was "getting punched in the face by the guy in the truck with him." Remiarz alleges her brother was purposely hit and run over by the driver who is now jailed in connection with criminal vehicular homicide. Lawver was "full of life and he finally got his life right" before his death, she wrote. "I still can't comprehend the fact that my brother is gone." This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Derrick Thompson's trial begins in deaths of 5 women
He was not the driver. That's what Derrick Thompson's attorney subtly introduced to jurors Thursday as Thompson's murder trial got underway in the south Minneapolis crash that killed five young women nearly two years ago. Although defense attorney Tyler Bliss in his opening statements did not give the name of who he will argue was the driver, a court document pins the blame on Thompson's brother, Demarco John Thompson, in a one-page notice of defense Bliss filed in court Tuesday, listing him as an 'alternative perpetrator.' 'The question of tragedy is not what this trial is about,' Bliss told jurors. 'The question presented here in this court is whether or not the state can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that my client drove that vehicle, and if he had the specific mental state to commit murder, to commit homicide. And, ladies and gentlemen, they simply cannot meet that burden.' Prosecutors say that Derrick Thompson was driving 95 mph on Interstate 35W in a rented Cadillac Escalade SUV, passing a Minnesota State Trooper, exiting on Lake Street, and then running a red light at Second Avenue and crashing into the victims' Honda Civic still at a high rate of speed just after 10 p.m. June 16, 2023. Pronounced dead at the scene were Salma Mohamed Abdikadir, 20, of St. Louis Park; Sabiriin Mohamoud Ali, 17, of Bloomington; Sahra Liban Gesaade, 20, of Brooklyn Center; Sagal Burhaan Hersi, 19, of Minneapolis, and Siham Adan Odhowa, 19, of Minneapolis. They were returning from preparing for a friend's wedding. 'These five young women, between the ages of 17 and 20, lost their lives due to the act of another that was shockingly reckless, incredibly selfish and unspeakably foolish,' Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Joseph Paquette told jurors. Thompson, the 29-year-old son of a former St. Paul state representative, was originally charged with 10 counts of criminal vehicular homicide for allegedly operating a motor vehicle in a grossly negligent manner and leaving the scene of an accident. In September, prosecutors added five counts of third-degree murder, which is defined in state statute as 'perpetrating an act eminently dangerous to others and evincing a depraved mind, without regard for human life.' While hearing evidence in the case, Paquette told jurors, 'ask yourself, how dangerous were the defendant's actions? What was his mindset when he did the things that the evidence shows he did in this case? Did the defendant flee the scene of the crash, and did his actions demonstrate an indifference to the loss of human life that he caused?' In November, Thompson turned down a plea offer from the Hennepin County Attorney's Office that called for a prison term between 32½ and nearly 39 years for pleading guilty to five counts of criminal vehicular homicide. A month earlier, a federal jury found Thompson, of Brooklyn Park, guilty of federal drug and weapons charges connected to the crash after more than 2,000 fentanyl pills and a Glock 40 semiautomatic handgun were found inside the Cadillac after the crash. A sentencing date has not been set. Jury selection began Tuesday at the Hennepin County courthouse and wrapped up Thursday afternoon. Judge Carolina Lamas is presiding over the case, which has shaken Minnesota's Somali community and attracted a high level of public interest and national media coverage. Lamas is allowing one TV news camera to record the trial, with the video footage to be shared with other media outlets. She denied requests for a livestream. A still photographer is also permitted in the courtroom, which on Thursday overflowed with family and friends of the victims. A second courtroom was opened up to accommodate everyone. Paquette read the names and ages of the five victims at the start of the state's opening statement. He then played a short clip of the crash, which was caught on video surveillance. What followed in the courtroom was loud gasps from the gallery. One woman got up and left, returning a short while later with a box of tissues. 'They never stood a chance,' Paquette said. 'The defendant t-boned a Honda Civic. What resulted isn't sufficiently described as a crash or a collision. It was an explosion. The Honda Civic was damaged beyond all recognition. No one from that vehicle could have survived. And no one did.' Paquette told jurors they will hear from several witnesses who saw Thompson shortly after the crash. Homeowner Dorinda Pacheco saw him limping past her Second Avenue house, then cut through a neighbor's yard and go down the alley toward a McDonald's parking lot, Paquette said. Thompson soon asked Carolyn Stauffer if he could use her cellphone, and she let him do so. He made a call and asked the person on the other end of the phone to come and pick him up from a Taco Bell parking lot, according to Paquette. After Thompson was arrested near the fast-food restaurant, he denied involvement in the crash and said his injuries were 'old.' He then said he had fallen earlier in the night, the charges say. 'This was an immediate red flag to officers, because they could tell that this was obviously a new injury,' Paquette said. The five women had just gotten done preparing for their friend's wedding, which was scheduled for the next day. They went shopping. A few got henna tattoos. Meanwhile, Thompson was at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, where Paquette said he was dropped off by his brother and rented the black Escalade from Hertz. 'He's seen clearly on surveillance video driving away from the facility in the Escalade with no other occupants,' Paquette said. 'He then makes his way from the airport and eventually onto highway 35 headed north.' Minnesota State Trooper Andres Guerra saw Thompson speeding and, before he could catch up or turn on the squad's emergency lights or sirens, Thompson 'cut across all lanes of traffic' and exited the interstate, Paquette said. 'After the crash, as you saw, both vehicles were launched north of the intersection and rolled end over end,' he said. 'The defendant crawled out of the Escalade right in front of the home of a woman named Dorinda Pacheco.' On the ground near the totaled vehicles, officers found the Hertz rental agreement that listed Thompson as the driver and noted the SUV had been rented just under a half-hour before the crash, Paquette said. 'You're also going to hear evidence during this trial that the defendant's brother, Demarco, his DNA, was possibly found in one location of the vehicle,' Paquette said. 'But Demarco was never seen inside of the vehicle, and it is an open question whether he ever even entered the vehicle at all.' Bliss, Thompson's attorney, said Thursday, 'When the dust settles, the smoke clears, you'll see multiple doors to this vehicle opened. You will see the DNA of multiple people in this car who are seen renting the vehicle 35 minutes before this occurs.' The prosecution was dealt a setback last week when the state court of appeals affirmed Lamas' ruling that prosecutors cannot introduce evidence from Thompson's 2018 crash in Montecito, Calif., in which he fled from officers in a vehicle, struck a pedestrian and left the scene on foot. The victim was placed in an induced coma and she had to undergo six surgeries within eight days of the crash. Thompson pleaded guilty in Santa Barbara County District Court in 2020 to charges of 'evading an officer (and) causing injury, leaving the scene of an accident (that caused) injury/death.' He was released from prison about six months before the Lake Street crash. The state sought to introduce evidence from that case to prove Thompson knew that his actions in Minneapolis were 'eminently dangerous' to others and that he 'acted with a depraved mind' — the key elements of a third-degree murder charge. The appeals court said in its May 19 ruling that while the two car crashes both involved reckless driving and caused serious injury, 'this commonality is too general' in showing a pattern of behavior. Police looking for hit-and-run driver who injured 2 pedestrians in Falcon Heights Man fatally shot in St. Paul ID'd as 20-year-old Crypto crime spills over from behind the screen to real-life violence Pair sentenced in human smuggling case that left Indian family dead on Minnesota border Angry with electrical utility, Iron Range official cuts wire, knocking out power to 3 towns In its 19-page opinion, the appeals court ruled that Lamas did not abuse her discretion in excluding the evidence from the California crash, while also acknowledging the decision 'significantly reduced the likelihood of a successful prosecution of Thompson for charges of third-degree depraved-mind murder.' The state's first witness was Kanitra Walker, Thompson's former girlfriend, who testified that Thompson called her from the hospital, where was recovering from his injuries, and said 'he was going a little fast and everything just happened so fast.' She said he never made a statement about his brother or anyone else being with him at the time of the crash. The trial will resume Friday and is expected to last into late next week. Thompson's father, John Thompson, was a first-term lawmaker representing St. Paul's East Side when he was defeated in the DFL primary in August 2022 in the wake of a number of controversies, which included questions about his official residence following a July 2021 traffic stop in St. Paul.
Daily Mail
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
DA probed by Trump for plea deals based on race
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty is facing a federal civil rights investigation over her new plea deal policy, which explicitly directs prosecutors to factor in race when considering offers for criminal defendants . Less than a week after Moriarty's office implemented the changes, the Department of Justice announced it was launching an inquiry into whether the policy violates the Constitution. The investigation is being led by Trump-era appointees who argue the guidelines may unlawfully treat people differently based on race. Moriarty (pictured) - who has been dubbed the country's most woke DA - is a progressive former public defender who campaigned on racial equity and criminal justice reform. Assistant U.S. Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon made the announcement Saturday. 'This letter is to inform you that the Department of Justice is opening an investigation to determine whether the Hennepin County Attorney's Office (HCAO) is engaged in a pattern or practice of depriving persons of rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States,' she wrote. 'While racial identity and age are not appropriate grounds for departures [from the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines], proposed resolutions should consider the person charged as a whole person, including their racial identity and age,' the policy states. 'While these factors should not be controlling, they should be part of the overall analysis. 'Racial disparities harm our community, lead to distrust, and have a negative impact on community safety. 'Prosecutors should be identifying and addressing racial disparities at decision points, as appropriate.' Moriarty, who took office in 2023 after winning a highly polarized election, has positioned herself as a reformer eager to disrupt traditional prosecutorial practices — including how plea deals are offered. She previously made headlines for declining to charge certain juvenile suspects in high-profile cases, sparking outrage from police unions and some community members. Supporters say Moriarty's approach is long overdue in a system plagued by racial inequities. But critics argue the new plea policy goes too far, replacing equal justice with identity-based leniency that could violate civil rights protections. 'Lady Justice is blindfolded for a reason,' Dhillon wrote on X . 'Under the leadership of @AGPamBondi and her team, @TheJusticeDept lawyers will investigate and take action wherever necessary to identify government practices that may run afoul of our civil rights norms.' The probe marks a sharp clash between federal civil rights enforcement under conservative leadership and local progressive prosecutors who argue that colorblind policies perpetuate racial injustice. It also signals the DOJ's willingness to take on local jurisdictions where reforms are seen as ideologically extreme. Moriarty has not personally commented on the investigation. However, her office issued a brief statement. 'We are aware of the letter from the Department of Justice posted to social media but have not received it,' HCAO spokesperson Daniel Borgertpoepping told KARE 11 News. 'Our office will cooperate with any resulting investigation and we're fully confident our policy complies with the law.' The case is likely to become a flashpoint in the ongoing national debate over race, justice, and the future of progressive prosecution. In April, Moriarty was accused of flouting her own rules to ensure a Minnesota state worker walked free after keying six Teslas. Her office revealed that they dropped charges against 33-year-old Dylan Bryan Adams after he reportedly admitted to causing around $21,000 in damage s during four separate incidents. Adams will instead be entered into an adult diversion program for first-time, low-level offenders, which could even allow him to keep his job as a is a program consultant at the state's Department of Human Services. Even the liberal-leaning Minnesota Star Tribune has slammed Moriarty's decision in an op-ed where they note her own office's policy, which says that diversion is only meant for property crimes of less than $5,000. Bryan - whose ultimate boss is Minnesota's Democrat Governor Tim Walz - caused more than four times that amount of damage but won't even have a conviction to his name. 'Moriarty either ignored it or bent it to fit a narrative,' columnist Brandi Bennet wrote. 'Either way, the public is left wondering: What exactly are the rules in Hennepin County, and who are they written to protect?' Want more stories like this from the Daily Mail? Visit our profile page and hit the follow button above for more of the news you need.
Daily Mail
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
America's wokest DA probed by Trump for offering plea deals on the basis of race
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty is facing a federal civil rights investigation over her new plea deal policy, which explicitly directs prosecutors to factor in race when considering offers for criminal defendants. Less than a week after Moriarty's office implemented the changes, the Department of Justice announced it was launching an inquiry into whether the policy violates the Constitution. The investigation is being led by Trump-era appointees who argue the guidelines may unlawfully treat people differently based on race. Moriarty - who has been dubbed the country's most woke DA - is a progressive former public defender who campaigned on racial equity and criminal justice reform. Assistant U.S. Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon made the announcement Saturday. 'This letter is to inform you that the Department of Justice is opening an investigation to determine whether the Hennepin County Attorney's Office (HCAO) is engaged in a pattern or practice of depriving persons of rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States,' she wrote. The memo at the center of the firestorm — titled Negotiations Policy for Cases Involving Adult Defendants — was quietly distributed inside the HCAO and first obtained by local NBC affiliate KARE 11. It lays out a series of new priorities for prosecutors, including guidance to consider a defendant's age, immigration status, employment, housing, and access to student financial aid. But the most contentious provision is the one that directly addresses race. 'While racial identity and age are not appropriate grounds for departures [from the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines], proposed resolutions should consider the person charged as a whole person, including their racial identity and age,' the policy states. 'While these factors should not be controlling, they should be part of the overall analysis. 'Racial disparities harm our community, lead to distrust, and have a negative impact on community safety. 'Prosecutors should be identifying and addressing racial disparities at decision points, as appropriate.' Moriarty, who took office in 2023 after winning a highly polarized election, has positioned herself as a reformer eager to disrupt traditional prosecutorial practices — including how plea deals are offered. She previously made headlines for declining to charge certain juvenile suspects in high-profile cases, sparking outrage from police unions and some community members. Supporters say Moriarty's approach is long overdue in a system plagued by racial inequities. But critics argue the new plea policy goes too far, replacing equal justice with identity-based leniency that could violate civil rights protections. 'Lady Justice is blindfolded for a reason,' Dhillon wrote on X. 'Under the leadership of @AGPamBondi and her team, @TheJusticeDept lawyers will investigate and take action wherever necessary to identify government practices that may run afoul of our civil rights norms.' The probe marks a sharp clash between federal civil rights enforcement under conservative leadership and local progressive prosecutors who argue that colorblind policies perpetuate racial injustice. It also signals the DOJ's willingness to take on local jurisdictions where reforms are seen as ideologically extreme. Moriarty has not personally commented on the investigation. However, her office issued a brief statement. 'We are aware of the letter from the Department of Justice posted to social media but have not received it,' HCAO spokesperson Daniel Borgertpoepping told KARE 11 News. 'Our office will cooperate with any resulting investigation and we're fully confident our policy complies with the law.' The case is likely to become a flashpoint in the ongoing national debate over race, justice, and the future of progressive prosecution. In April, Moriarty was accused of flouting her own rules to ensure a Minnesota state worker walked free after keying six Teslas. Her office revealed that they dropped charges against 33-year-old Dylan Bryan Adams after he reportedly admitted to causing around $21,000 in damage s during four separate incidents. Adams will instead be entered into an adult diversion program for first-time, low-level offenders, which could even allow him to keep his job as a is a program consultant at the state's Department of Human Services. Even the liberal-leaning Minnesota Star Tribune has slammed Moriarty's decision in an op-ed where they note her own office's policy, which says that diversion is only meant for property crimes of less than $5,000. Bryan - whose ultimate boss is Minnesota's Democrat Governor Tim Walz - caused more than four times that amount of damage but won't even have a conviction to his name. 'Moriarty either ignored it or bent it to fit a narrative,' columnist Brandi Bennet wrote. 'Either way, the public is left wondering: What exactly are the rules in Hennepin County, and who are they written to protect?'
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DOJ investigating a Minnesota county attorney's policy to consider race in plea deals
The Department of Justice is investigating a Minnesota county attorney's policy that appears to suggest a defendant's race should be considered during plea deals. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon posted a letter on X Saturday informing the Hennepin County Attorney's Office that the department had launched a 'racial discrimination pattern and practice investigation' into the policy change. 'Lady Justice is blindfolded for a reason. Under the leadership of @AGPamBondi and her team, @TheJusticeDept lawyers will investigate and take action wherever necessary to identify government practices that may run afoul of our civil rights norms,' Dhillon posted Sunday evening. The policy change took effect April 28, CNN affiliate KARE reported. The DOJ investigation comes as the Trump administration takes a dramatically different approach to race and civil rights cases. Last week, for example, cabinet secretaries focused on their efforts to purge diversity efforts from government. And the DOJ Civil Rights Division – whose special litigation section will oversee the Minnesota investigation – has been expected to be used to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives under the Trump administration. Under Hennepin County Attorney's Office 'Negotiations Policy for Cases Involving Adult Defendants,' which KARE obtained, resolutions should be based on individualized analyses. 'While racial identity and age are not appropriate grounds for departures, proposed resolutions should consider the person charged as a whole person, including their racial identity and age,' the document reads. 'While these factors should not be controlling, they should be part of the overall analysis. Racial disparities harm our community, lead to distrust, and have a negative impact on community safety. Prosecutors should be identifying and addressing racial disparities at decision points, as appropriate,' it says. The DOJ's letter to Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty says it is investigating 'whether the Hennepin County Attorney's Office (HCAO) is engaged in a pattern of practice of depriving persons of rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States.' The investigation is based on the policy change 'directing prosecutors to consider racial identity,' but would also review all the county attorney's office's policies and practices 'that may involve the illegal consideration of race in prosecutorial decision-making,' it says. The letter is dated May 2 and signed by Dhillon. County attorney's office spokesperson Daniel Borgertpoepping told KARE that the office is aware of the DOJ letter but had not received it. 'Our office will cooperate with any resulting investigation and we're fully confident our policy complies with the law,' he said. CNN has reached out to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office for comment. The DOJ Civil Rights Division was created in the 1950s to lead the DOJ's enforcement of anti-discrimination laws. Dhillon last month said that more than 100 of the division's 340 attorneys had accepted an offer to federal workers that allows them to resign and be paid through September. She told conservative commentator Glenn Beck: 'En masse, dozens and now over 100 attorneys decided that they'd rather not do what their job requires them to do.' Dhillon went on to say that the division's job 'is to enforce the federal civil rights laws, not woke ideology.'
