In December 2021, Arnell ‘AJ’ Stewart, a young Black man, was killed by a 50-year-old white man in Saint Paul, Minnesota after the man accused Stewart of parking on his property. While much of the media paid little attention to the murder, Unicorn Riot followed the case.
For over two years, Unicorn Riot has reported on the story as told through family members, court documents, and the drawn-out legal battle which sought justice for AJ Stewart’s killing.
Our stories document the community’s response to the killing, the effect his murder continues to have on his surviving loved ones, and the lengthy court case that ended with Brian Kjellberg, the killer, convicted. The judge gave him no prison time despite the state asking for 150 months.
See our final report and short film featuring AJ’s mother and the family lawyer along with trial exhibits and video of the killing.
Below, you will find links to all of our coverage of the story of AJ Stewart’s life and death, including extensive court records collected throughout our reporting. Organized chronologically, the stories below represent the most thorough reporting to date on the murder of AJ Stewart.
Family Calls for Hate Crimes Charge in Killing of AJ Stewart
Family Calls for Hate Crimes Charge in Killing of AJ Stewart [March 29, 2022]
From the beginning, AJ Stewart’s community struggled to secure justice for their loved one. Three months after Stewart was killed, and after Kjellberg was charged with second-degree unintentional murder, Stewart’s family and supporters called on the Ramsey County prosecutors to revoke Kjellberg’s bail and charge him with first-degree murder and hate crimes.
“There have been racial epithets used by this man and based on community, other young Black men who live in the area. It’s not an unfamiliar thing for this man to have made threats against their lives, to have harassed them in the neighborhood and on that block. So to me, this feels premeditated, it feels excessive, and it feels like a hate crime,” local activist and artist Tish Jones said of the killing at a press conference in December 2021.
Family of AJ Stewart Speak on Patterns of White Supremacy That Led to His Killing Over a Parking Spot
Family of AJ Stewart Speak on Patterns of White Supremacy That Led to His Killing Over a Parking Spot [Feb. 15, 2023]
In the aftermath of the murder and the lead-up to the trial of AJ Stewart’s killer Brian Kjellberg, Unicorn Riot heard from Stewart’s family. In an impactful interview with his cousin Tongo Eisen-Martin, the Poet Laureate of San Francisco, Stewart’s relative drew a direct connection between white supremacy and Stewart’s murder.
“We are in a society of social contradiction in which the collective in which you actually exist…lives in absolute contradiction with another group, this white ruling class. And what’s profitable for
them, what’s safe for them, what’s power for them, is destruction for you. So you know, AJ is really just another alarm,” Eisen-Martin said of his cousins death at the hands of a white man described as a vigilante.
Guilty Verdict in Saint Paul Murder Trial of White Vigilante Not Enough, Says Victim’s Family
Guilty Verdict in Saint Paul Murder Trial of White Vigilante Not Enough, Says Victim’s Family [May 1, 2023]
After a four-day trial in late March 2023, Kjellberg was found guilty by a jury of second-degree murder without intent for killing Stewart. But even before evidence shown in the trial indicated a racial motive, Stewart’s family and supporters had called this a premeditated, racially motivated killing and continued to demand authorities charge Kjellberg with hate crimes.
“I dont know why this cat went to trial, his whole fucking thing was a lie. There was no defense…He was not being attacked and he wasn’t even being disrespected,” Tongo Eisen-Martin, Stewart’s cousin, said after the verdict came down. “This was a fucking hate crime!”
Ramsey County District Judge Leonardo Castro presided over the trial. The state was represented by Ramsey County attorneys Makenzie Lee and Hassan Tahir. Kjellberg was represented by defense attorneys Amanda Montgomery and Earl Gray. Gray is known for representing the police who killed Philando Castile, George Floyd, and Daunte Wright.
Defense Attorney Earl Gray Says Black Foreman is ‘Racist’ After Guilty Verdict, Judge Grants New Hearing
Defense Attorney Earl Gray Says Black Foreman is ‘Racist’ After Guilty Verdict, Judge Grants New Hearing [May 16, 2023]
In a motion hearing seeking a new trial for Kjellberg, defense attorney Gray called the Black foreman of the jury “racist” and was granted a Schwartz hearing by Ramsey County Judge Leonardo Castro. Kjellberg’s sentencing was delayed as the Schwartz hearing proceeded.
Judge Rejects White Vigilante’s Defense Motions Against Black Foreman, Sets Sentencing Date
Judge Rejects White Vigilante’s Defense Motions Against Black Foreman, Sets Sentencing Date [May 23, 2023]
Kjellberg’s motions for acquittal and a new trial were denied by Judge Castro following a short Schwartz hearing in May 2023. After Gray said the Black foreman of the jury was “racist against white people,” Judge Castro disagreed with Gray’s analysis of juror conduct in regards to race and called for a sentencing date in late May 2023.
White Vigilante Appeals Murder Conviction, Seeks Release From Jail
White Vigilante Appeals Murder Conviction, Seeks Release From Jail [Nov. 28, 2023]
On May 31, 2023, Judge Castro gave Kjellberg a dispositional departure and sentenced him to just 364 days in jail for the murder of AJ Stewart. After serving six months of his sentence, Kjellberg asked for release pending his appeal and was granted a hearing.
White Vigilante Denied Release From Jail While Appealing Murder Conviction
White Vigilante Denied Release From Jail While Appealing Murder Conviction [Dec. 20, 2023]
During a motion hearing on November 29, 2023, Kjellberg was denied early release from jail to appeal his murder conviction. Nearly two years to the date of murdering AJ Stewart and having served about six months of his sentence, Kjellberg appeared in court, defended by his appeals attorney Melvin Welch who said Kjellberg had been assaulted in jail and had deteriorating health before Judge Castro denied his motion.
Killed by a Vigilante Who Received No Prison Time: The Murder of AJ Stewart
Killed by a Vigilante Who Received No Prison Time: The Murder of AJ Stewart [Sept. 19, 2024]
Tabatha Lewis, AJ Stewart’s mother, and the family attorney Jeff Storms sat down with Unicorn Riot and shared their reactions and thoughts on the killing, the charges, the trial and the sentencing. This report also features each of the trial exhibits, including Kjellberg’s interrogation video and video from an alley camera that shows the deadly attack.
View the trial exhibits in this main report and read all the documents in our document vault.
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