Father sentenced for role in quadruple St. Paul slaying

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The quadruple St. Paul murder in September 2021 that rocked communities and shattered several families saw its first sentencing in court on Friday. 

Four tight-knit friends and loved ones were shot to death in a Mercedes Benz – 35-year-old Loyace Foreman III, 26-year-old Matthew Isiah Pettus, 30-year-old Nitosha Lee Flug-Presley, and 30-year-old Jasmine Christine Sturm. Their bodies were eventually abandoned in a rural Dunn County, Wisconsin, corn field.

While the alleged killer, Antoine Suggs is set for trial in March 2023, Suggs’ father was sentenced Friday to nearly five years in prison for the role he played in covering up the slayings.

As part of a deal, Darren Osborne, aka, Darren McWright pleaded guilty to aiding an offender after the fact, for helping his son dump the vehicle.

The victim’s loved ones believe the punishment of 58 months in prison does not fit the crime.

"As a mother, as a father, how do you allow that to happen and assist your child in something so heinous without your moral compass clicking?" asked Ashli Jones, Loyace’s sister after the hearing.

The hearing featured nine individual victim impact statements including Flug-Presley’s father, Damone Presley. He told FOX 9’s Paul Blume afterward, "The holidays, you know, there's something missing. You can feel that sense in the room, who is not here." 

Authorities have said Suggs pulled the trigger and is responsible for the four murders. It is believed, the group known to each through social circles and family relationships in the east metro, was driving around Saint Paul after spending time at a bar. 

But 15 months later, a motive remains something of a mystery. The only hint is contained within court filings that Suggs "snapped."

"So this isn't over. It is just one step," said Cathy Hansen, an aunt of Flug-Presley. "It is good to close the chapter, but this is a long road. We have a long road ahead of us."

Osborne offered a rambling apology in the courtroom in which he told the victim’s families, he would gladly trade places with the four who were slain. He called them "heroes" in death and added, "I thank God no one else was killed."

Loved ones demanded to know why Osborne did not call the police at the moment, and hold his son accountable.

"Absolutely, he has a part in this," said Ashli Jones, "If he would have called, as my mother said, their heart was still beating. If there was blood still flowing, one of them could have been saved."

"Hopefully this doesn't happen to any other family," Damone Presley added. "You know, my concerns are that the families are still struggling - grief and loss, mental, emotional and spiritual. It is so hard."

According to online Department of Corrections records, Osborne is expected to be released from prison with time served in less than two years and then be placed on supervised release.

"It is not enough time, but no amount of time will ever be enough. I am thankful for the justice system, but I don't think that the 58 months (pleas deal) is really justice," said Hansen.