Family outraged by plea offer to armed carjacker, slams Hennepin Co. Attorney
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The family of a man killed in a deadly carjacking attempt in northeast Minneapolis, is once again blasting a plea deal offered to one of the two armed assailants involved in the shooting.
Steven Markey’s family blamed Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty for the offer made to Husayn Braveheart for aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
"She was hired to be a prosecutor, and a prosecutor's job is to prosecute people. She wants to continue to act as if she is the public defender," said Susan Markey, Steven’s sister at a news conference following a hearing in the case Friday.
Steven Markey was killed four years ago on June 11, 2019. The 16-year-old who fired the deadly shot, Jared Ohsman was given nearly 22 years in prison. Braveheart, his accomplice is currently looking at probation, and time in the workhouse to transition back into society after four years in custody.
Moriarty believes Braveheart, who is now 20 years old, has shown he is responsive to treatment and programming during his time in custody, including completing two residential treatment programs, and that he is now ready to begin transitioning back into society. She added, that in the best interest of public safety, they continue to support Braveheart’s ongoing progress and provide structure and supervision in the near term, rather than sending him to prison for a sentence that would likely amount to more than a decade inside the adult correction system.
But Markey’s family sees the plea deal as a complete injustice. His mother, father, and sister all provided emotional and angry statements, begging Hennepin County District Court Judge Michael Burns to reject the offer.
"I think it is an absolute outrage and it is devastating to my family and it is devastating to all the people in the county," said Susan Markey, a local corporate attorney who added she was embarrassed to be working in the same legal system.
"Mary Moriarty has decided that my brother's life does not justify a sentence in prison. And it is best his death is best punished by probation. That is deeply wrong for multiple reasons," added Markey.
In a written statement, Moriarty commented, "My commitment to Steven Markey’s family is that we will do everything we can to prevent another family from suffering such a tragic, senseless, and devastating loss. Mr. Braveheart has shown he is responsive to the carefully-selected programming he has received over the past four years. If we disrupt that progress, we will jeopardize public safety and risk everything when he comes back to the community. We cannot take that risk."
Judge Burns set a sentencing hearing for Oct. 23. He will have until then to formally accept or reject the plea offer that includes a 261-month prison term should Braveheart violate conditions during a five-year probation period. But if he stays out of trouble, he would not have to spend a day in prison.
The Markey family said they would welcome the intervention of Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, who stepped in earlier this year in a separate murder case when the Hennepin County Attorney offered an unpopular plea deal to a teen gunman in a Brooklyn Park homicide.
Watch the full press conference below.