MINNEAPOLIS — After pleading guilty this spring to fatally shooting two people in February of 2022, a Hennepin County judge sentenced Lavell Piggie to 612 months (51 years) in prison on Friday.
According to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office, Piggie pleaded guilty in May to two counts of second-degree murder for the Feb. 10, 2022 shooting deaths of 23-year-old Malik Travon Carr-Riggins, of Minneapolis, and 30-year-old Case Samuel Ritzman, of St. Paul. The victims were found by responding officers inside a vehicle near Sheridan Avenue North and North 21st Avenue in Minneapolis, suffering from gunshot wounds.
Minneapolis police attempted life-saving measures until paramedics arrived, but both men were pronounced dead at the scene.
"Mr. Piggie admitted to a brazen double murder and he has now been held legally accountable. I’m hopeful today’s sentencing can help these families move forward," said Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, in a statement.
Piggie was indicted by a grand jury before deciding to enter his guilty plea, avoiding a trial.
The indictment alleged Piggie shot and killed the men after a “significant amount” of drugs, including crack cocaine and Fentanyl, went missing. According to court documents, authorities' initial investigation showed that Piggie was seen entering the car containing both Carr-Riggins and Ritzman before driving across north Minneapolis, and later exiting the car and leaving the scene.
Later, according to investigators, the drugs and a bag with .40 caliber ammunition were recovered.
“Arrest and prosecution will never be enough. We must address the issues that make violence a viable decision for far too many people," Moriarty said. "We must seek to prevent violence before another life is lost or another family is shattered.”
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