Brooklyn Park murder case dropped: Man freed after 7 months in jail
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (FOX 9) - A 25-year-old man is set to walk free from jail Wednesday after his murder case was dropped over a lack of evidence.
Benjamin Richardson spent seven months in jail for a murder he always said he didn't commit. His mother had always insisted that there was never any evidence. He has maintained his innocence since his arrest in 2021 for the shooting in Brooklyn Park.
On June 22, 2021, Alameen Allah Shabazz was shot and killed outside a Brooklyn Park market. Prosecutors initially suggested that there were witnesses who identified the suspect as Richardson. However, his attorney maintains that no one could pick him out of a lineup, surveillance video placed Richardson elsewhere at the time of the murder, eyewitness descriptions didn't match Richardson, and other evidential issues arose.
"There's no fingerprints, DNA, there's no weapon. They looked for prints in the suspect vehicle and got DNA from the suspect vehicle, and got CODIS hits on two people. And none of them were Mr. Richardson," said Sarah Gad, Richardson's defense attorney.
Prosecutors reportedly offered Richardson a plea deal for 400 months (33 years) for second-degree murder, which Richardson refused. He lost seven months of his life and had to drop out of college. His mother drained her savings to pay for his defense. But eventually, prosecutors dropped the case.
"We went into chambers, and they're like, we're filing the dismissal, not because we think he's innocent, but because we don't have enough to convince a jury," revealed Gad.
This outcome was a relief not only for Richardson and his family but also for his attorney. Gad, a convicted felon with seven non-violent drug convictions, went to law school after serving time, graduated in 2017, and started her own practice. This was her first murder case.
"Just kind of having to relive this whole process through the lens of my client, who I knew was innocent, was just the most difficult part," Gad said.
When asked for a comment on the dismissal, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office said, "After extensive review of all available evidence in this case, there is currently insufficient evidence to support a conviction beyond a reasonable doubt. Therefore, the state was forced to dismiss the case at this point to ensure it can be recharged if additional evidence becomes available."