Two women who previously pleaded guilty in connection with the killing of a Minnesota man during an attempted drug theft were released from prison last week after their sentences were reduced under a new state law that redefines aiding and abetting murder.
Megan Cater and Briana Martinson are charged in the 2017 slaying of Corey Elder, 19, in Bloomington, Fox Minneapolis reports.
The murder was motivated by an attempt to steal pills from the victim.
The pair broke into Elder’s apartment on April 27, 2017, along with two others. Cater and Martinson ransacked the home while the other two suspects violently attacked Elder before fatally shooting him, authorities said.
The two women were each sentenced to 13.5 years in prison after rejecting plea deals to avoid life sentences.
Megan Cater, left, and Briana Martinson, right, were released early from prison after being convicted under Minnesota’s new murder law. Minnesota Department of Corrections
However, state lawmakers recently redefined the law on aiding and abetting murder, meaning only those who directly commit the murder or directly aid in the murder can be charged with the crime.
The new law can be applied retroactively to those already in prison.
Cater and Martinson were charged with aiding and abetting first-degree burglary after Elder’s family gave a victim impact statement to the court.
Cater received more than 5 years. He has been in service for more than six years.
Martinson’s sentence was reduced to almost five years after serving more than six years. Both women were released from prison that day. They were originally scheduled for release in the fall of 2026.
“We are grateful that Megan Cater has been given this second chance by Minnesota lawmakers to re-enter society,” said Cater’s attorney, JaneAnne Murray. “There are far too many people serving lengthy sentences in Minnesota prisons that do not reflect their minor and less culpable role in their crimes.”
Martinson’s attorney, Bradford Colbert, said that while his client “didn’t play a role in the tragic death that occurred, he understands the loss and trauma that many people experienced that night.”
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, whose office supported the petition for re-sentencing, told the news outlet that the new law is an effort to ensure that key participants in murders face the harshest consequences.
“We are not talking about people who are innocent in everything. We really recognize the role they play,” he said. “The court makes the final decision and in this case the court chose to re-sentence these women for what they actually did.”
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Bobbie Elder, Corey’s mother said the family believes the criminal justice system has failed their son.
“Although there is a time and place for this change in the law to be allowed, this case is not one of them. Megan Cater and Brianna Martinson were the masterminds behind the events that led to the murder of my son, Corey Elder,” he said. “
“They are the ones who have organized the whole plan, including making sure there are firearms,” he added. “They have convinced themselves and their families of a false narrative that portrays them as victims, which is contrary to the facts.”
In total, six people have been convicted of Elder’s murder.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
