MINNEAPOLIS — A high-profile defendant was sentenced for his role in the fatal carjacking of a man whose death spurred a fierce debate over sentencing and the rehabilitation of young offenders.
On Thursday Hennepin County District Court Judge Michael Burns sentenced 20-year-old Husayn Braveheart to 54 months (4-and-a-half years) in prison but credited the defendant for 1,647 days already served. That means Braveheart has completed his sentence and could be eligible for release as soon as next week.
Braveheart's sentence comes after the Hennepin County Attorney's Office accepted an offer from the defense to have the defendant plead guilty to a lesser count of first-degree attempted assault — great bodily harm in the death of 39-year-old Steven Markey. Braveheart and Jared Ohsman carjacked Markey at gunpoint on June 11, 2019, a crime that ended with Ohsman fatally shooting the victim.
Ohsman pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and is serving a 21-year sentence. He was 16 years old at the time of Markey's murder, while Braveheart was 15.
In October of 2023, Moriarty's office proposed a plea deal that would have sentenced Braveheart to supervised release, saying he was showing great progress and was amenable to treatment. That agreement was quashed by Burns, but Thursday the judge acknowledged the right of the defense and state to negotiate another deal and said his position is not to reject an offense and plea agreement that conforms with state guidelines.
"I have great concern as to whether or not the system is doing you a service or disservice here," Judge Burns told the court.
Markey's family has been vocal in their displeasure with Moriarty and what they see as a lack of justice for their son. They said today that the new plea deal with Braveheart was done without them being consulted, and called the sentence a sham.
“Our job is a difficult one, it is to hold people accountable, protect public safety, and achieve a fair and just result. We believe that we have reached that balance in this case," Moriarty countered in a released statement following the sentencing. "We know some will agree and others will not. Mr. Braveheart, a juvenile when he committed this terrible crime, has made enormous strides and been responsive to treatment during the past five years of his incarceration. That treatment might have prevented this crime in the first place had he received it, and we believe the treatment will prevent a future crime if it continues, which this sentence allows. As always, our heart goes out to the Markey family, who suffered a terrible tragedy.”
Husayn Braveheart will be back in court Monday for a hearing on two aggravated robbery cases he is charged in that occurred before Steven Markey's death. Hennepin County Courts spokesperson Matt Lehman says the judge in those cases set bond at $250,000, and if that bond is posted Braveheart can be released.
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