MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison says he will not be taking over a controversial murder case despite a plea from the victim's family.
When Ellison took over prosecution of the Zaria McKeever murder this spring, he said he had no intention of doing that again.
Steve Markey's family is upset with the plea deal offered by Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty to one of his accused killers.
"We're exhausted. This is emotionally draining every day," said Markey's mother Catherine Markey.
With the sentencing hearing approaching for Husayn Braveheart, one of the people charged with murdering Steve Markey, Steve's family reached out to Attorney General Keith Ellison as a petition circulating online accumulated 1,400 signatures.
"The cases are not that different," Catherine said, comparing the case to the McKeever murder.
Ellison agreed with the family of McKeever that the plea deal Moriarty offered Zaria's teenage killers was "inappropriate" and too lenient.
After Markey's family circulated an online petition asking Ellison to do the same for them, Ellison reiterated in a statement, in part: "I did not expect to ask the Governor to assign any future criminal cases from county attorneys to me... that remains my intention today."
"Well, if you set a precedent that you're going to do something when justice isn't being served, it's pretty hard to be told that my brother's life didn't matter but this other person's life matters. And this is just in one case but not in the other case? It's inconsistent," said Steve's sister, Susan Markey.
Braveheart, who is now 20, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree murder with the agreement he'll receive probation instead of prison time. His accomplice, Jared Ohsman, received 21 years in prison.
Moriarty said in a statement, "Mr. Braveheart has shown he is responsive to the programming he received while incarcerated over the past four years. IF we disrupt that progress, we will jeopardize public safety and risk everything when he comes back to the community. We cannot take that risk."
Markey's family still hopes the judge will reject the plea deal at Braveheart's next hearing, which is scheduled for Oct. 23.
"Being told you're safer with your brother's murderer on the street is the most insulting thing that I've ever heard," Susan said.
Ellison is scheduled to meet with the Markey family soon.
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