Two women who previously pleaded guilty in connection with the killing of a Minnesota man who tried to steal drugs were released from prison last week after their sentences were commuted under a new state that redefines aiding and abetting murder.
Megan Cater and Brianna Martinson are accused of killing Corey Elder, 19, in Bloomington in 2017, Fox Minneapolis reported.
The motive for the murder was an attempt to steal pills from the victim.
On April 27, 2017, the two, along with two others, broke into Elder’s apartment. Authorities said Cater and Martinson ransacked the home, and two other suspects violently assaulted Elder and then shot him.
The two women were each sentenced to 13 and a half years in prison after taking plea deals to avoid life sentences.
However, the state Legislature recently redefined aiding and abetting murder laws so that only those who directly commit murder or those who directly aid in murder will be charged.
The new law also applies retroactively to people already in prison.
After Elder’s family filed a victim impact statement in court, Cater and Martinson were charged with aiding and abetting the lesser crime of first-degree robbery.
I have received the caterer for over 5 years. She had already been working there for over 6 years.
Martinson had his sentence reduced to nearly five years after serving more than six years. Both women were released from prison that day. It was originally scheduled for release in the fall of 2026.
“We are grateful that the Minnesota Legislature has given Megan Cater a second chance at reintegrating into society,” said Kater’s attorney, JaneAnn Murray. “Too many people in Minnesota prisons are serving long sentences that do not reflect their minor and less serious roles in crimes.”
Martinson’s attorney, Bradford Colbert, said his client “was not involved in the tragic death that occurred, but understands the weight of loss and trauma that night caused to so many.” “There is,” he said.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said her office supports the resentencing petition and that the new law is an effort to ensure that key participants in murder cases face the harshest consequences. He told the press that there was.
“We’re not talking about people who are innocent in anything. We recognize exactly the role they played,” she said. “The court makes the final decision, and in this case the court chose to re-sentence the women for what they had actually done.”
Corey’s mother, Bobby Elder, said the family believes the criminal justice system failed her son.
“There is a time and place for this legal reform to be justified, but this case is not one of them. Megan Cater and Brianna Martinson are accused of the crime that led to the murder of my son, Cory Elder. He was the mastermind behind it,” she said. “
“They were the ones who designed and arranged the entire plan, including making sure the gun was present,” she added. “They are being led to believe a false narrative that paints them and their families as victims, contrary to the facts.”
A total of six people were convicted in connection with Elder’s murder.
