The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced Thursday that they will be petitioning the Minnesota Supreme Court for review of the murder case against Cody Fohrenkam in the killing of Deshaun Hill, Jr.
"There are a number of things that could happen," says Moriarty in a video statement (below). "The Supreme Court could say 'no, we aren't going to take a look at this', and that simply means that the case comes back to Hennepin County where we will re-try the case."
The announcement comes just after a Minnesota Court of Appeals decision reversed the conviction against Fohrenkam citing incriminating statements that were illegally collected by law enforcement.
"The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office conducted a thorough review of the case to determine the appropriate path forward, which is petitioning the Supreme Court for review of the decision," said a statement from Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty's office. "Should the reversal of the conviction stand, the office will re-try the case."
Moriarty added that there needs to be justice and accountability for what she called a "disturbing crime".
“The senseless killing of Deshaun Hill was devastating to his loved ones and to everyone in the North High School community,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. “Having reviewed the Court of Appeals decision, we believe the Minnesota Supreme Court should review this case and reinstate the conviction. We believe we charged the right person and, if necessary, we will try this case again.”
The state has 30 days from the date of the Minnesota Court of Appeals decision to file its petition with the Minnesota Supreme Court. Moriarty says regardless of what happens with Forenkam's case, he would not be released from custody anytime soon.