The brutal 2010 triple murders at the Seward Market shocked the community, and police concluded the killer was fifteen-year-old Mahdi Ali. A new Unicorn Riot investigation raises 27 different issues with that investigation and the murder trial. We circled back with our contributor to break down the major elements people should know about this contentious case.
Minneapolis, MN — Family members and advocates of two men serving life sentences in Minnesota — Deaunteze Bobo and Jermaine Ferguson — renewed their demands for their loved ones to be released from prison, saying they were wrongfully convicted.
During a press conference in the…
Minneapolis, MN — Overlooked details have emerged casting serious doubt on Mahdi Hassan Ali’s conviction for a 2010 triple murder, as well as the integrity of the investigation by the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
“I was the perfect scapegoat.”…
Minneapolis, MN – Police associations and pro-police members of Congress are pressuring Minnesota’s governor to wrest prosecuting power away from Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty over her decision to charge State Trooper Ryan Londregan with murder for the July 2023 fatal shooting of Ricky Cobb…
Denver, CO — This week is the National Lawyers Guild’s (NLG) annual nationwide campaign called “Week of Abolition” where local NLG law school chapters host events, activities and actions to spread knowledge and promote discussion about “alternatives to the criminal punishment system” with an aim…
St. Paul, MN — Prisoners are continuing to face retribution six months after 100-plus inmates in Minnesota’s MCF-Stillwater prison protested their living conditions and took part in a day of non-violent civil disobedience. Several incarcerated participants spent the last half year in solitary confinement for…
Minneapolis, MN — In a historic ruling, Hennepin County Judge William Koch vacated Marvin Haynes’ murder conviction, dismissed his charges with prejudice, and ordered his release from prison where he was sentenced to serve life. Haynes walked out of MCF-Stillwater as an exonerated man into…
Madison, WI — Hrindindu Sankar Roychowdhury pleaded guilty on November 20, 2023 to federal arson charges resulting from a 2022 attack claimed under the moniker ‘Jane’s Revenge’ against Wisconsin Family Action, an anti-abortion Christian fundamentalist group.
The attack on Wisconsin Family Action’s office occurred on…
Saint Paul, MN — Brian Harry Kjellberg, the “white vigilante” convicted of murdering Arnell ‘AJ’ Stewart in St. Paul, was recently denied early release from jail to appeal his murder conviction. On Nov. 29, nearly two years to the date of murdering 27-year-old Stewart and…
Political Prisoner Eric King was released from prison Tuesday after spending nearly 10 years behind bars.
Tucson, AZ — Federal inmate and former FBI informant, John Turscak, was charged last week with attempted murder by federal prosecutors for the Black Friday stabbing incident of fellow prisoner Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who was convicted for the 2020 murder of…
Saint Paul, MN — On May 31, Ramsey County District Judge Leonardo Castro sentenced Brian Kjellberg to just 365 days in jail for the December 2, 2021 killing of Arnell ‘AJ’ Stewart. Now, after serving six months of his sentence, Kjellberg is asking for release…
November 12 marked Victor Puertas’ 46th birthday. But while family and friends throughout the region gathered in his hometown of Salt Lake City, Victor spent the day behind bars.
For more than seven months, Puertas has been in pretrial detention after he was arrested and…
From inside a Minnesota prison cell, an incarcerated worker in the state’s Prison Industries Enhancement Certification Program (PIECP) is demanding the Department of Corrections (DOC) allow him to pay his taxes. Kashaun Pierce Sr. said for the last seven years he’s been trying to pay…
Minneapolis, MN — Last month, the Minnesota Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling in Torgerson v The State of Minnesota that the odor of marijuana on its own does not establish probable cause for police in Minnesota to search vehicles.
Criminal defense attorney and 2008…
Saint Paul, MN — The #NoKidsInPrison traveling art installation highlighted artwork from several cities across the U.S. along the theme of abolishing youth imprisonment; including art inspired by youth incarceration in Minneapolis driven by Target Corp.
The Minneapolis based non-profit law firm Legal Rights Center…
St. Paul, MN — Five years after losing her son Hardel Sherrell to medical malpractice and improper care while in a Minnesota jail, Del Shea Perry leads another protest against in-custody deaths. At least 15 people have died this year while inside Minnesota jails and…
Anoka, MN — When Cristian Rivera-Coba died in the Anoka County Jail in July, no one provided answers as to how a beloved 22-year-old son, brother and uncle lost his life while in custody. Months later, his family and advocates are still seeking information about…
