On Monday, Hennepin County judge Michael Burns rejected a plea deal in the case of a 20-year-old man accused of playing a role in a fatal carjacking case.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarity is pushing for a deal for Husayn Braveheart, who she says played a lesser role than his co-defendant in the 2019 murder of 39-year-old Steven Markey.
The deal would have seen Braveheart stay out of jail and plead guilty to second-degree murder.
Markey’s mother, Kathryn, who is a lawyer, spoke after the ruling, saying she feels the judge got it right.
“We’re very grateful that Judge Burns had the courage to do the right thing in this matter. I can’t help but notice the prosecutors never mentioned all of Braveheart’s infractions over the last few years,” Kathryn Markey said. “Instead, he was this model citizen from both sides, prosecutors and the public defenders.”
Braveheart is now 20 years old but was 15 when investigators say he and a 16-year-old attempted to carjack Markey and ended up shooting him to death.
An omnibus hearing has been set for December 14th.
In a statement, a Hennepin County Attorney’s Office spokesman says they disagree with the judge’s decision.
The spokesman said the plea deal balanced the possibility of severe punishment with the reality that this young man, with a terrible childhood, had succeeded when he was finally given access to intensive resources.