Deshaun Hill shooting: Trial for man charged in his killing pushed back to January
Deshaun Hill shooting: Trial for man charged in his killing pushed back to January
The trial for the man accused of killing Minneapolis North High School student-athlete Deshaun Hill has been delayed until January. Jury selection in Cody Fohrenkam's second-degree murder trial was scheduled to begin on Monday, November 7, but in a surprise move, the judge delayed the start of the trial.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The trial for the man accused of killing Minneapolis North High School student-athlete Deshaun Hill has been delayed until January.
Jury selection in Cody Fohrenkam's second-degree murder trial was scheduled to begin on Monday, November 7, but in a surprise move, the judge delayed the start of the trial.
The trial has been pushed back to January 17, 2023.
This comes after the defense raised concerns about evidence, specifically related to photo lineups used by the Minneapolis Police Department during its investigation into Hill's killing.
Hill's family spoke with FOX 9 outside of court on Monday, saying they're outraged the trial has been delayed by two months, adding they want justice for Hill, who was 15 when he was fatally shot in the head while walking down the street on February 9, 2022. Hill was a star athlete and honor roll student at North High.
Deshaun Hill's family reacts after trial of son's suspected killer pushed back: RAW
Cody Logan Fohrenkam's trial in the killing of Minneapolis student Deshaun Hill last year was scheduled to begin on November 7, 2022, but has been pushed back to January 2023. His family expressed their disappointment outside court on Monday.
The charges against Fohrenkam
Investigators reviewed surveillance video that showed a man matching Fohrenkam's description and Hill passing each other while walking in opposite directions down a sidewalk by Golden Valley Road, with the two getting close enough to "possibly brush shoulders," according to the complaint. The man police believe to be Fohrenkam then pauses, and three shots ring out, with the suspect then running out of the frame. The two were the only people on the streets at the time, the complaint says.
Three witnesses also reported seeing a man matching Fohrenkam's description at the scene, with two picking Fohrenkam out of a photo lineup. One of the witnesses also told police that Fohrenkam told them he was "looking for someone he claimed had stolen his cell phone," moments before the shooting occurred, according to the complaint.
After his arrest, Fohrenkam initially told investigators he was in Wisconsin at the time of the shooting, but when confronted with surveillance footage allegedly showing him at a nearby store the same day, he admitted to being in the area and said he was there looking for the person he suspected of stealing his phone, the complaint says. The complaint goes on to say that detectives believe Fohrenkam has since made jail calls seeking to set up an alibi.
Court records show Fohrenkam has a lengthy rap sheet, with 10 separate incidents on file from 2010 to 2018, including convictions for assault, robbery, illegal possession of a firearm and arson.
Deshaun Hill. (Supplied)