Teen takes plea deal in violent assault of trans woman at Minneapolis LRT station
Trans woman violently assaulted at Minneapolis LRT station
Two men have been charged after police say they were involved with the violent assault of a trans woman at a Minneapolis light rail train station on Monday. Twenty-three-year-old Kevin York Jr. and 19-year-old Keaten Morris are charged with aggravated robbery and assault for the bloody attack Monday morning at the Lake Street light rail train station.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - One of two men charged with violently attacking a trans woman at a light rail train station in Minneapolis has accepted a plea deal.
Court records show Keaten Morris, 19, has agreed to plead guilty to one charge of third-degree assault.
In exchange, prosecutors agreed to dismiss the aggravated robbery count. The deal will allow Morris the opportunity to avoid a three-year stayed prison sentence and serve 120 days in the Hennepin County workhouse.
Morris was charged alongside 23-year-old Kevin York for the attack at the Lake Street LRT station on February 27.
Charges state York, Morris, and another man attacked the victim, a trans woman, leaving her with a serious head injury. Morris was recognized on security video by officers and arrested at another LRT station. Morris was known to officers and had been previously banned from the LRT station due to drug use, the charges allege.
Officers found York carrying a purse with the victim's ID inside, the charges state. Speaking with officers, York claimed the victim had "slashed at people" with what he believed was a box cutter.
The proceedings against York are ongoing. In a court filing last month, York's defense attorney stated he intends to argue self-defense and duress in the case.