Deshaun Hill case: Fohrenkam retrial set to start Monday after appeal fight over interrogation video
Jury selection in Cody Fohrenkam’s retrial for the 2021 murder of 15‑year‑old Deshaun Hill Jr. is scheduled to begin Monday in Hennepin County after prosecutors’ fight over a 19‑minute interrogation video reached higher courts and previously delayed the case. The Minnesota Court of Appeals vacated Fohrenkam’s 2023 conviction and 38.5‑year sentence, finding he was illegally detained so Minneapolis investigators could interrogate him and that prosecutors committed prejudicial misconduct by showing the contested interview to jurors; at an earlier court appearance Hill’s family erupted, prompting tightened security.
📌 Key Facts
- Jury selection in Cody Fohrenkam’s retrial for the 2023 murder of 15-year-old Deshaun Hill Jr. is scheduled to begin Monday in Hennepin County District Court.
- The Minnesota Court of Appeals threw out Fohrenkam’s 2023 second-degree murder conviction and 38.5-year sentence.
- The appeals court found Fohrenkam was illegally detained in Carlton County so Minneapolis investigators could interrogate him.
- The appellate ruling also found prosecutors committed prejudicial misconduct during the original trial.
- The court concluded Fohrenkam’s interrogation statements were not lawfully obtained, yet a 19-minute video of the interrogation was shown to the jury before a conviction that took less than an hour.
- At Fohrenkam’s first new court appearance, members of Hill’s family erupted in court — berating and threatening him — prompting deputies to clear them from the courtroom and tighten security.
📊 Relevant Data
In Minneapolis, Black residents constitute 18% of the population but were responsible for 88% of homicides where the offender's race was known to the police.
Biden DOJ Claims Minneapolis Police Discriminate—but Ignores Crime Disparities — City Journal
The rate of any violent crime among Black Minneapolis residents is 27 times higher than among White residents.
Biden DOJ Claims Minneapolis Police Discriminate—but Ignores Crime Disparities — City Journal
In 2019, 91% of Black homicide victims in the United States were killed by Black offenders, while 81% of White homicide victims were killed by White offenders.
Race and crime in the United States — Wikipedia
The Near North neighborhood in Minneapolis has a racial composition of 54% Black, 12.1% White (non-Hispanic), 13.2% Hispanic, and 16% Asian.
Race and Ethnicity in Near North, Minneapolis, Minnesota — Statistical Atlas
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Jury selection in Cody Fohrenkam’s retrial for the murder of 15-year-old Deshaun Hill Jr. is scheduled to begin Monday in Hennepin County District Court.
- The Minnesota Court of Appeals threw out Fohrenkam’s 2023 second-degree murder conviction and 38.5-year sentence, finding he was illegally detained in Carlton County so Minneapolis investigators could interrogate him.
- The appellate ruling also held that prosecutors committed prejudicial misconduct in their arguments, and that Fohrenkam’s interrogation statements were not lawfully obtained but were still shown to the jury in a 19‑minute video before a conviction that took less than an hour.
- At Fohrenkam’s first new court appearance, Hill’s family erupted in court, berating and threatening him and prompting deputies to clear them from the courtroom and tighten security.