A Minnesota man convicted of killing a mother and her 10-year-old son in Minneapolis in 2008 was sentenced Friday to two concurrent life sentences with the possibility of release, authorities said on Fox News Digital. confirmed.
In a release sent to FOX News Digital by the Ramsey County District Attorney’s Office, Brian Flowers, 32, was accused of co-defendant Stefon in the stabbing deaths of Katricia Daniels and her son Robert Shepherd, 10. -He said he was 16 years old when he rescued Edward Thompson.
Flowers’ original sentence did not allow for the possibility of parole, but federal and state law changes between 2012 and 2016 during the Obama administration meant that Flowers was charged as a minor. Therefore, he is currently eligible for release.
Under the new law, he would have been eligible for parole in 2038 (30 years later), but last year’s state law changed to say convicts serving concurrent life sentences are eligible within 15 years. He is now eligible for parole.
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Brian Flowers and his accomplice were convicted in 2008 of murdering Katricia Daniels and her 10-year-old son, Robert Shepherd. (Minnesota Department of Corrections)
Ramsey County District Attorney John Choi, who took over prosecution of the case from Hennepin County, said in a statement sent to Fox News Digital that the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled in 2010 that Thompson was not involved in Flowers’ murder. He said the ruling was “much less” than that.
He said his office concluded that Flowers should serve the sentences concurrently, rather than consecutively as originally stated.
“Because we were not involved in the protracted and contentious litigation that this incident has spawned over more than 11 years, we have independently assessed Mr. Flowers’ liability and, in hindsight, are aware of past judicial decisions and federal and state law.” We were able to consider significant changes,’ and that happened during this long litigation,” Choi said.
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He added: “The law is an expression of our community’s values, and when the law changes it provides important guidance for how prosecutors should exercise our decision-making. From our perspective, it is significant that the Minnesota Supreme Court held on appeal that: In 2010, it held that Mr. Flowers’ role in the case was much smaller than that of his co-defendants. We have reviewed this case over the past 10 months and have come to the same conclusion and therefore resolved this case in a manner that reflects the lesser of Mr. Flowers’ guilt. The case ended, and retroactive changes to the law by the Minnesota Legislature in 2023 recognized the reality that the distinction between consecutive and concurrent sentences for Mr. Flowers was small. ”
The Minnesota Supreme Court building in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Minnesota government)
Choi’s office said Flowers had to agree to withdraw his request for a new trial and halt post-conviction legislation.
FOX News Digital reached out to Choi’s office and the Hennepin County Courthouse where he was upset.
His office said the law changes would allow 60 years of eligibility for those serving two consecutive life sentences and 30 years for those serving concurrent life sentences.
Flowers was re-sentenced in 2017 to serve concurrent life sentences.
“What happened in the 3600 block of South 1st Avenue on June 12, 2008, was horrific. But Flowers appears to have played a lesser role than his co-defendants. Even the Minnesota Supreme Court has was a close case,” the Hennepin County District Court said at the time.
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That ruling was reversed on appeal by the Minnesota Supreme Court in 2018.
