Minneapolis, MN
Convicted sex offender on probation charged in Bloomington rape
Convicted rapist plea deals allow repeat offenses
A two-time convicted rapist out on probation is back in jail after a judge sentenced a Minneapolis man in May, but he got credit for time served, so he never went to prison. FOX 9’s Mike Manzoni has the details that were the result of a pair of plea deals.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A two-time convicted sex offender on probation kidnapped and raped a woman at a hotel in Bloomington in September, according to court documents.
Convicted sex offender kidnapped, raped woman he met on Snapchat: charges
The allegations:
According to court records, Abdimahat Bille Mohamed, 28, of Minneapolis, kidnapped and raped a woman he met on Snapchat.
Mohamed picked up the woman at her home in Mankato in September, then drove her to a hotel in Bloomington, where he held her against her will for several days and sexually assaulted her, prosecutors said.
The victim told investigators that Mohamed told her, “You’re not going home,” after she got into his car, according to court documents.
She also told investigators that Mohamed took her phone and told her, “You’re not leaving,” when she tried to escape.
On Sept. 21, nearly a week after her kidnapping, the “very distraught and shaken up” victim jumped out of Mohamed’s car on Aldrich Avenue South in Minneapolis, where a resident called police.
Suspect convicted of two previous sexual assaults in Minneapolis
The previous cases:
The September incident happened less than four months after he was sentenced in two unrelated sexual assault cases, including one that involved a 15-year-old girl.
In May 2024, Mohamed was arrested and charged after prosecutors said he raped a woman he met on Snapchat at his apartment in Minneapolis.
In that case, the victim told a paramedic that she had been strangled and raped.
Mohamed threatened to shoot the victim unless she had sex with him, prosecutors said.
According to court records, a witness heard arguing and walked into a bedroom to find Mohamed on top of the victim. He threatened to kill the witness, prosecutors said.
In October 2024, he was charged in another rape that prosecutors said happened in December 2017.
DNA collected after his arrest in 2024 linked him to the 2017 case that involved a 15-year-old girl.
According to court records, Mohamed met the girl on Snapchat and picked her up in St. Paul. He drove her to Minneapolis, where two men got into the car, prosecutors said. One of the men pointed a handgun at the victim and forced her to perform oral sex on another man in the car before Mohamed got in the backseat and raped her, documents said.
Suspect struck plea deals, avoided prison time
The sentences:
In May, a Hennepin County judge sentenced Mohamed in the two rape cases. But under the terms of a plea agreement, he served no prison time.
For the 2017 sexual assault that involved a minor, he was sentenced to three years in prison, but the sentence was stayed for five years, meaning he did not serve prison time. He was sentenced to 364 days in the Hennepin County workhouse but received credit for time served. In addition, he was sentenced to five years of probation.
For the 2024 sexual assault, he was sentenced to 14 months in prison, but that sentence was also stayed, meaning he never went to prison. He was also sentenced – and received credit for time served – to 364 days in the Hennepin County workhouse. In addition, he was sentenced to a day of probation.
The response:
When reached via email on Monday for comment, a spokesman for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, which prosecuted the cases, said he was “checking in with staff.”
Minneapolis, MN
Man fatally shot in Minneapolis, 17-year-old arrested
The scene of the shooting on Thomas Avenue North. (FOX 9)
A man was fatally shot after an argument early Tuesday morning in Minneapolis.
Fatal shooting on Thomas Avenue North
What we know:
According to Minneapolis police, around 2:30 a.m., officers responded to the 1600 block of Thomas Avenue North on reports of a shooting inside a home.
At the scene, officers found a man with several gunshot wounds. The man was taken to the hospital, where he later died, police said.
Authorities say that an argument led to gunfire, and the suspect fled the scene before police arrived.
A 17-year-old was arrested in connection to the shooting, and police say they are investigating “connections” between the teen arrested and other violent crimes in Minneapolis this year.
What they’re saying:
“Another family has forever been impacted by senseless violence,” said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara. “Settling disputes with a firearm is completely unacceptable, and we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure justice in this case. Every available tool in the juvenile justice system must be used to protect young people who pose a danger to themselves as well as the community.”
What we don’t know:
Police did not specify the gender of the 17-year-old. And the other crimes the teen could be connected to were not specified.
The man who was fatally shot has not been identified.
The Source: A press release from the Minneapolis Police Department.
Minneapolis, MN
41-year-old convicted in triple homicide at Minneapolis encampment
A 41-year-old was found guilty in the murders of Christopher Martell Washington, Louis Mitchell Lemons, Jr., and Samantha Jo Moss at a homeless encampment in Minneapolis, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
According to a criminal complaint, Earl Bennett rode an e-bike to a tent in the encampment in October 2024, asked to see one of the victims inside and began shooting shortly after being allowed inside. Surveillance video showed him leaving the tent and riding away on his e-bike.
Washington and Lemons were declared dead at the scene, and Moss died at the hospital a week later.
Woman dies nearly a week after triple shooting at Minneapolis encampment; suspect charged
Bennett is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 16 in this case, the attorney’s office said.
Other cases
Bennett is also a defendant in two other cases.
He was shot by law enforcement after pointing a gun at officers in St. Paul days after the murders.
Officers later learned Bennett had shot and critically injured a man earlier in the evening at a sober living home on the 3500 block of Columbus Avenue South.
The gun Bennett pointed at officers in St. Paul matched the casings found at both the encampment and sober living home shootings.
SPPD releases bodycam of officers shooting and injuring man charged in encampment triple homicide | Man seriously injured in Minneapolis shooting, suspect not in custody
These cases both remain open.
Minneapolis, MN
Jury finds man guilty of murder in Minneapolis homeless encampment shooting
A jury found a man guilty in the murders of three people at a Minneapolis homeless encampment, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced Monday.
Earl Bennett was found guilty on three counts of second-degree intentional murder for the Oct. 27, 2024, shooting at a small encampment next to railroad tracks near Snelling Avenue and East 44th Street.
The victims were identified as 38-year-old Christopher Martell Washington of Fridley, 32-year-old Louis Mitchell Lemons Jr. of Brooklyn Center, and 35-year-old Samantha Jo Moss of St. Louis Park.
Charges say investigators obtained surveillance video from the area that allegedly captured the suspect, later identified as Bennett, arriving on an electric bike and entering a tent at the encampment. About 15 minutes later, video captured the sound of several gunshots before Bennett exited the tent and left on his bike.
The manager of a sober house in south Minneapolis, where Bennett is accused of severely injuring another man, identified Bennett as the suspect in the surveillance video from the encampment shooting.
Later that same night, officers in St. Paul responded to a shots fired call near Snelling and Charles avenues. Upon arrival, they found a man, later identified as Bennett, with a gun.
As officers approached, Bennett pointed the gun to his head, police said. Officers began talking with him, trying to get him to surrender, but he then started walking south down Snelling. Once he reached the Snelling and University area, he began walking around in the intersection, according to police.
Police said officers fired “less lethal” rounds at Bennett to try and get him to surrender, but he still would not.
Bennett then pointed his gun at police, according to the department and witnesses, and that’s when officers shot him.
The four officers who shot Bennett were all cleared of criminal charges, with the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office concluding the use of deadly force was legally justified under state law.
Bennett also faces charges of second-degree assault and unlawful possession of a firearm in connection to the armed encounter with officers in Ramsey County.
In Hennepin County, Bennett was also convicted of illegally possessing a firearm.
Bennett’s sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 16.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress, get help from the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. Trained crisis counselors are available 24 hours a day to talk about anything.
In addition, help is available from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI. Call the NAMI Helpline at 800-950-6264 or text “HelpLine” to 62640. There are more than 600 local NAMI organizations and affiliates across the country, many of which offer free support and education programs.
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