Cody Fohrenkam pleads guilty in killing of Minneapolis student Deshaun Hill, county attorney says
A 33-year-old man is expected to serve a sentence of nearly 30 years after pleading guilty Tuesday in the shooting death of a Minneapolis high school student Deshaun Hill in 2022.
According to the Henenpin County Attorney's Office, Cody Fohrenkam pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree intentional murder. Under the terms of the plea agreement, he'll serve a 340-month sentence. Fohrenkam is scheduled to be sentenced on March 2.
Fohrenkam was initially convicted and sentenced to over 38 years in prison in February of 2022, but the Minnesota Court of Appeals later that year reversed the conviction and called for a new trial. The judge's ruling said incriminating statements were illegally collected during a jailhouse interview with Fohrenkam.
The retrial began Tuesday. The attorney's office says Wednesday's plea agreement "ensures that Mr. Fohrenkam cannot appeal any issues that could arise at a second trial."
Hill was killed while walking to a bus stop on Golden Valley Road near Penn Avenue North, just blocks from Minneapolis North High School, where he was a star quarterback and honor roll student. Students had been released early from school that day and were encouraged to attend a protest in connection to the fatal police shooting of Amir Locke.
Surveillance video showed Hill and Fohrenkam walking past each other, then Fohrenkam stopping and turning toward Hill before three gunshots were heard. Witnesses told police they saw Fohrenkam running from the area after shots rang out.
"Deshaun Hill was beloved by his family, his friends, and his community. He had an unforgettable impact on his peers and community, encouraging other students to stay in school and served as a beacon of light for youth in our community," Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement Wednesday. "To Deshaun's loved ones, my thoughts are with you. I hope the resolution of this case after four long years brings a small measure of peace. Mr. Fohrenkam's violent actions took Deshaun from his community and harmed many more. This plea holds him accountable and ensures that he is not able to harm anyone else."