Minneapolis man sentenced in cyberstalking turned murder

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A Minneapolis man was sentenced Thursday for his role in a cyberstalking that ended with the murder of a man in front of his daughter in Missouri in 2018.

Thirty-six-year-old Ronell Pearson, of Minneapolis, was sentenced to five years in prison without parole. Co-defendant Michael Young, 32, of Missouri, was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years behind bars.

Pearson and Young both pleaded guilty for their roles in the case. A third defendant, 36-year-old Lester Brown of Kansas City, was convicted by a jury in May on counts of conspiracy to commit cyberstalking, cyberstalking resulting in death, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He has yet to be sentenced.

The three men were arrested in 2019, accused of cyberstalking the victim Christopher Harris, from November 2017 through March 2018, using GPS devices attached to vehicles to track Harris and his associates. In March 2018, prosecutors said the men tracked Harris to a dance studio in Raytown, Missouri, and gunned him down.

Prosecutors write that "Harris [screamed], ‘My daughter’s in the car! My daughter is in the car!’ Brown fired several more rounds at Harris as he ran to the door. Harris’s daughter was able to make it inside the house unharmed, but Harris fell to the ground before he reached the house. Brown stood over him and fired two last rounds at him while he lay on the ground."

Prosecutors say the men had sent Harris threats over Snapchat prior to the murder, demanding Harris pay Brown $10,000 per month.

Brown faces up to life in prison when sentenced for the shooting.