Minneapolis, MN

Charges filed in 2006 rape case after DNA evidence goes untested

Published

1 year ago

June 3, 2023

Press Room

Charges filed in 2006 rape case after DNA evidence goes untested

Alleged 2006 rape case attacker charged

17 years after an alleged attack, a man has been charged with rape following the completion of DNA testing.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Hennepin County prosecutors have charged a man with rape 17 years after an alleged attack in south Minneapolis.

Clinton Barret Copher made his first court appearance Friday on a count of third-degree Criminal Sexual Conduct.

According to court documents, Copher met a woman on April 28, 2006. They ended up in a car together on the 2500 block of Blaisdell Avenue when the woman attempted to flee. That is when Copher violently assaulted her.

A witness came out of a house on the block when they heard the screaming and called 911.

But according to court records, DNA evidence in a sexual assault kit sat untested for years.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty has told FOX 9 that it does not matter how old a case may be, if a crime occurred, her office will hold offenders accountable.

“If we are able to prove that a crime, a sexual assault happened, whenever it happened, we will go forward with that case if we are able to prove it and get justice for that victim,” Moriarty told FOX 9’s Paul Blume on May 23, following a prior cold case rape conviction.

It is not clear from publicly available records why the sexual assault kit in this particular Minneapolis Police Department case sat untested for so long.
In 2020, a DNA swab was sent to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension lab as part of a joint-City of Minneapolis sexual assault kit initiative (SAKI) to get untested evidence reviewed for potential prosecutions.

According to the charges, the DNA from the alleged rape matched to Copher as did a license plate and vehicle the witness reportedly watched Copher drive away in following the attack.

Copher has a prior conviction for sexual assault that required he submit his DNA back in 2011, meaning it is possible he could have been identified by forensic evidence, at least a dozen years ago.

Victim-survivor advocates have said timely testing is critical.

“In the current situation that we are in, we are waiting much longer for DNA results, which really has an impact on access to justice for victim-survivors and on public safety,” Kate Hannaher, Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault Staff Attorney told Blume last month.

Authorities have said there are several reasons why a rape kit might have gone untested for such a long period of time, including victim-survivors having second thoughts, getting scared or embarrassed, leaving investigators unable to follow-up after the initial report is taken, and evidence gathered.

In May, the BCA reported there were 621 untested rape kits across the state of Minnesota with an average turnaround time of 124 days.

A legislative effort to mandate that number get capped at 90 days was unsuccessful at the Capitol in this most recent session.

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Minneapolis, MN

3 people shot in Dinkytown early Friday morning

Published

6 hours ago

November 1, 2024

Press Room

3 people shot in Dinkytown early Friday morning

Dinkytown shooting injures 3 people

Authorities are investigating a Dinkytown shooting that left three people injured. FOX 9 reporter Se Kwon has the latest details.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Authorities are investigating a Dinkytown shooting that left three people injured early Friday morning.

What we know

A SAFE-U Emergency Alert states that three people were shot at the intersection of 4th Street Southeast and 13th Avenue Southeast around 2:15 a.m.

This area is in the heart of Dinkytown, just over half a mile west of Mariucci Arena and Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

The shooting happened off of the University of Minnesota campus.

What we don’t know

Police have not released information on whether any U of M students were involved.

No suspect information is currently available.

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Minneapolis, MN

Xcel faces challenges with old utility poles

Published

14 hours ago

November 1, 2024

Press Room

Xcel faces challenges with old utility poles

More than two thirds of the utility poles throughout Minnesota are at least a half-century old and records show their failure rate dramatically increases with age, a problem exacerbated by climate change, experts said.

Posted October 31, 2024 10:00pm CDT

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Minneapolis, MN

City Council calls for audit of MPD response to neighbor dispute that led to shooting

Published

22 hours ago

October 31, 2024

Press Room

City Council calls for audit of MPD response to neighbor dispute that led to shooting

A group of Minneapolis city leaders are calling for an independent review of a recent neighbor dispute that ended with one man hospitalized after being shot and another man in custody.

As reported by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS last week, Davis Moturi says he repeatedly called police about threats made by his neighbor, 54-year-old John Sawchak.

Many city council members are saying a separate review is necessary in this case. Prosecutors say Sawchak shot Moturi after a months-long dispute. Video shows Moturi pruning a tree near the property line and then a pop is heard before he falls to the ground.

However, it took days for officers to arrest Sawchak after prosecutors charged him with the shooting and after city council members called for police to take action.

Moturi also says for nearly a year, he had been reaching out for help from Minneapolis police regarding harassment and threats from Sawchak. On Sunday, Police Chief Brian O’Hara also apologized, saying the department “failed” Moturi.

During Thursday’s meeting, council members called for an independent review of the case in addition to the internal review.

“Seeing another Black man not be delivered the justice that they deserved and to see our police department or leadership initially blame said victim for the cause of their near-death experience — it was disheartening to hear that our actions to bring attention to eight months of inaction was labeled as political,” Ward 2 Council Member Robin Wonsley said.

Early Thursday afternoon, a spokesperson for Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey issued the following statement regarding an independent review into the shooting:

“Mayor Frey fully supports an independent review of this incident. The mayor and City are committed to always doing better, and this means closely examining past actions and finding where there may be ways to improve and grow.
“The mayor extends his condolences to Davis Moturi, his wife, Caroline, and their family and friends. The safety of our residents is a top priority and any form of violence or hate speech is completely unacceptable and does not align with who we are as a community.
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Brian O’Hara will continue to be the Minneapolis Police Chief.”