MINNEAPOLIS — The process of retrying the man convicted of murdering a talented North High School student-athlete begins in earnest Tuesday, with a hearing in the case of Cody Fohrenkam.
Fohrenkam was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to more than 38 years for the shooting death of 15-year-old Deshaun Hill following a random encounter on a north Minneapolis sidewalk back in February 2022. Prosecutors said the two accidentally brushed shoulders while walking opposite ways on a Glenwood Avenue sidewalk, and Fohrenkam pulled a handgun and shot the teen.
The convicted shooter's defense team appealed, and in May 2024 the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled that videotaped statements Fohrenkam made to police were obtained while he was illegally detained. His defense attorneys argued that those statements were instrumental in the murder conviction.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty took the appeals court decision to the Minnesota Supreme Court, which declined to hear the case. She vowed to retry Fohrenkam, a process that begins with Tuesday's hearing.
"Deshaun Hill was an honor roll student and beloved quarterback at North High, and his tragic death due to gun violence shocked the entire community," said Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty earlier this year. "We will prosecute Mr. Fohrenkam to hold him accountable for the murder of Deshaun Hill."
Hill was out of school on the day he was killed as North High's principal allowed students to leave school to take part in a protest. The teen's family agreed to a $500,000 settlement with the Minneapolis Public Schools after alleging he would still be alive if not for the principal's decision.