Minneapolis man resentenced for role as teen in murder of mother and son, now eligible for parole

A Minneapolis man serving a life prison sentence without parole for his role as a teen in a grisly double-murder of a mother and son was resentenced Friday, paving the way for his possible release.

Brian Lee Flowers, now 32, and his friend Stafon Thompson were convicted as teens for murdering 35-year-old Katricia Daniels and her 10-year-old son, Robert Shepard, in their duplex in Minneapolis’ Kingfield neighborhood in 2008. The slayings were gruesome: Daniels was stabbed nearly 200 times and a television bludgeoned Shepard. Flowers, then 16, played a lesser role than Thompson, who was 17, according to his defense team and the Minnesota Supreme Court, and has been fighting for post-conviction relief.

Following a series of state and federal law changes on the prosecution of juveniles, most recently last year in Minnesota, Flowers’ team litigated nearly a decade for resentencing. Instead of consecutive sentences for the murders, Hennepin County Judge William Koch resentenced Flowers to concurrent life sentences Friday.

Under the new law, Flowers is eligible after serving 15 years in prison. As he has already served over 15 years, he is eligible for a parole hearing now. Scheduling of that process is up to the Minnesota Department of Corrections, said Ramsey County Attorney’s office spokesperson Dennis Gerhardstein. The office handled the case after it was transferred there because of a personal conflict of interest by Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, a former public defender.

Attorneys for Flowers, University of Minnesota Law Professor Perry Moriearty and Mitchell-Hamline Law Professor Brad Colbert released the following statement on behalf of Flowers following Koch’s new sentencing order:

“It is impossible to overstate the gravity of the trauma, grief, and loss caused by the murders of Katricia Daniels and Robert Shephard. Brian takes full responsibility for and deeply regrets his role in the events of that night,” the statement said. “Brian was 16 years old at the time of the murders. He is grateful that both the State and the Court have recognized his youth and — as did the Minnesota Supreme Court — his lesser culpability in these events. Brian has now been incarcerated for almost 16 years, and he is not the same person he was in 2008. He knows that there is nothing he can say or do to change what happened, but Brian will spend the rest of his life trying to make amends. He is so deeply sorry.”

In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life sentences for juveniles without parole are unconstitutional.

Flowers was eligible for resentencing and his case came back to Hennepin County District Court in 2015, with years of legal back and forth between prosecutors who wish to keep Flowers incarcerated, and Flowers’ attorney, who maintains he was less culpable in the killings and should be eligible for eventual release.

More than a decade after the U.S. Supreme Court decision, Minnesota became the 28th state to abolish juvenile life without parole. The change offers most prisoners serving sentences of 15 years or more for juvenile offenses the chance to appear before a review board, which will determine whether they can safely be released.

Approximately 40 people would be eligible for review once the panel is up and running this summer.

This is a developing story. Check back at startribune.com for updates.