Gov. Walz Strips Murder Case From Reform-Minded Hennepin Attorney

MINNEAPOLIS — A case involving the killing of a young mother has caused a rift among top Democrats in Minnesota.

On Thursday, Gov. Tim Walz used his executive authority to strip the Zaria McKeever murder case from Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty. McKeever was killed in a burglary-turned-murder on Nov. 8, 2022.

Walz reassigned the case to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison after he formally requested it from the governor.

The governor's rare move came after Moriarty — a former public defender who narrowly won her seven-candidate race as a reform candidate — offered a controversial plea deal to two teenagers charged with murder.

Outgoing Hennepin County Attorney Michael Freeman sought to have the two juveniles, aged 15 and 17, certified as adults.

But according to Ellison, Moriarty — after her election — "abruptly changed course and offered plea agreements to retain them both in the juvenile system."

"The disposition offered by the county attorney is inappropriate, so far outside the normal course for the prosecution of such a heinous crime, and so far outside of community expectations," he added in his letter to Walz.

Under Minnesota law, the court can certify a person under 18 as an adult based on the seriousness of the alleged crime, among other factors.

"In this case, the county attorney offered a deal that takes that decision out of the judge’s hands and ignores the most important factors that weigh heavily for adult certification," Ellson added.

He concluded that "the decision by the county attorney in this case is wrong and will have long-lasting consequences for the integrity of the criminal justice system."

In a fiery news conference, Moriarty said Ellison's request and Walz's decision undermine the authority, autonomy, and responsibility of elected prosecutors.

"I ran on reform," Moriarty said, adding that Ellison and Walz, "are stopping me from doing the job I was elected to do" and were being "undemocratic."

Moriarty was bombarded by questions from McKeever's family members during the conference, criticizing her approach as being soft.

The attorney defended herself by saying science and research indicates that a long jail sentence will not rehabilitate the teens involved in the case.

Read Moriarty's full statement here.