Murder Conviction Thrown Out By MN Appeals Court, Calls For New Trial

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota’s Court of Appeals on Tuesday tossed out the murder conviction of a man that prosecutors said shot and killed star student and quarterback Deshaun Hill Jr., of Minneapolis.

Cody L. Fohrenkam was wrongfully detained when he made certain statements later used against him, the court argued:

“Because Fohrenkam made his incriminating statements during this period of continued detention — which the state never justified by presenting evidence explaining the basis for such conduct — Fohrenkam’s statements must be suppressed as the product of an unlawful seizure.”

The decision on Tuesday reverses a lower court ruling and calls for a new trial.

Hill was 15 at the time and attending North High School. He was an honor roll student and starting quarterback.

Hennepin County Judge Julie Allyn sentenced Cody L. Fohrenkam to 463 months — or more than 38 years — in prison. Fohrenkam and Hill did not know each other, and the shooting was apparently random.

On Feb. 9, 2022, Minneapolis police were dispatched to Golden Valley Road and Penn Avenue North on a report of a shooting.

Police found Hill unresponsive, and medics immediately transported him to North Memorial Medical Center, where he died.

Video surveillance from the scene showed Fohrenkam walking on the sidewalk and possibly brushing shoulders with Hill, who was walking in the other direction, according to authorities. Video does not capture the shooting, but shows Fohrenkam fleeing the scene, investigators said.

Witnesses told police that Fohrenkam matched the description of the shooter, according to the criminal complaint.

Read Tuesday’s decision below:

Reporting from the Associated Press was used in this story.