Moorhead murder conviction overturned by MN Supreme Court

MOORHEAD, Minn. (FOX 9) - A man convicted of first-degree murder has had his conviction overturned by the Minnesota Supreme Court, which cites "insufficient evidence" as part of the rationale behind the opinion.

Case circumstances

The case stems from the Sept. 10, 2021, fatal shooting of Abdi Abdi in a car parked at the Griffin Court apartment complex in Moorhead around 8:03 a.m. The shooter ran to Abdi and shot him multiple times. Abdi died from his wounds.

At the time, Ibrahim Abdiaziz Isaac was approximately 100 miles away from the scene of the crime. However, prosecutors believe Abdi’s killer didn’t act alone – alleging that Isaac knew the shooter planned to kill him that evening, and that he intended to aid in the plan by transporting him to and from the scene.

After the shooter killed Abdi, cell phone data showed that he called Isaac, who turned his car around on Interstate 94 to meet with him.

Isaac was ultimately found guilty of first-degree premeditated murder under an aiding-and-abetting theory of criminal liability following a trial. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Court reversal

When appealing the initial verdict, Isaac argued state prosecutors presented "insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he knew about the shooter’s plan to murder Abdi Abdi before it occurred," according to the Minnesota Supreme Court opinion.

In its decision, the Minnesota Supreme Court concluded the state did present insufficient evidence for a conviction, due to, "a rational hypothesis that Isaac only learned about the shooter’s plan after the murder occurred and, therefore, did not have the required knowledge or intent for aiding-and-abetting the action."