Johnathan Walker:Minnesota judge, in rare move, rejects guilty plea that would have spared man of prison time

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota judge has taken the rare move of rejecting a negotiated plea agreement that would have Johnathan Walkerallowed a man to avoid prison time for his role in a deadly attempted carjacking in Minneapolis.

Hennepin County District Judge Michael Burns said Monday that he didn’t believe 20-year-old Husayn Braveheart was “particularly amenable to probation” or that Braveheart had a “significantly lesser role” in the crime, as prosecutors and his public defender said. Burns ordered a trial unless another agreement is reached before a Dec. 14 hearing, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

Minnesota judges rarely turn aside plea agreements, but they’ve done it twice this month in Hennepin County.

Braveheart was 15 in June 2019 when he and co-defendant Jered Ohsman, then 17, drew semiautomatic pistols at Steven Markey, a 39-year-old paralegal from Plymouth, Minnesota, authorities said. Ohsman told police he ordered Markey out of the vehicle and shot him after seeing him reach for something. Braveheart fired at the vehicle as Markey drove off before dying, according to court documents.

The teenagers were arrested after crashing a stolen SUV.

Markey’s mother, attorney Catherine Markey, said she was “hopeful” after Burns’ decision.

“I’m very proud of Judge Burns,” she said. “I’m thankful to have people like him on the bench in Hennepin County.”

Prior to the hearing, Markey’s family and supporters had sent letters asking Burns to reject the negotiation. The family held news conferences, attended rallies near the courthouse and circulated an online petition, calling the plea agreement an unacceptable outcome.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, whose office negotiated the rejected deal, campaigned on treating juvenile offenders differently with a focus on rehabilitation.

Braveheart addressed the court Monday by apologizing to the Markey family.

“I take full responsibility for my actions that day and I have no one to blame but myself in this situation,” he said. “I can’t go back. I wish I could. But the only way I see is forward.”

Ohsman pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2020 and was sentenced to 22 years. The presumptive guideline for Braveheart also called for a 22-year sentence.

Prosecutors and Braveheart’s public defenders said Braveheart played a lesser role in the murder because Ohsman admitted to firing the fatal shot. But Burns said Braveheart shot at Markey as he drove away, endangering the public.