SAINT PAUL, Minn — Governor Tim Walz, when asked about the murder case involving Minnesota State Patrol Trooper Ryan Londregan, criticized Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty regarding transparency, after the revelation she charged Londregan with murdering Ricky Cobb despite her use-of-force expert's initial opinion that the trooper acted reasonably.
"In a case like this, transparency is king," Walz said. "I listen to people, whether on health issues or law — I'm not a lawyer myself — but as a layman on this, why would you not listen to a use-of-force expert? Why would that not be central to something you would do?"
Walz is now deciding whether to allow Moriarty to continue prosecuting the case — or to reassign it — after the Minnesota Police and Peace Officer's Association formally asked him to review it.
"We want Trooper Ryan to have a fair shake," said attorney Stephen Foertsch, the MPPOA's legal administrator.
The MPPOA's letter to the governor points out that after national use-of-force expert Jeff Noble's analysis, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office didn't provide him with more materials, filed charges without further consultation, and then directed Noble to cease working so that he would not create a final report.
"We think that anyone objectively looking at the case will see that he did just what Jeff Noble said he did, which is acted reasonably to save his partner's life," Foertsch said.
The governor has the legal authority to remove a case from a prosecutor, and he did so last year in the high-profile murder of Zaria McKeever in Brooklyn Park, after the victim's family protested the plea deals being offered to the juvenile suspects. Walz then gave that case to Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office continues to prosecute it today.
Regarding the Londregan case, Walz didn't say how close he is to a decision.
"No, there's no timeline, we'll get more from the judge on Thursday," Walz said, pointing out that Londregan will be back in court on Thursday for a motions hearing.
In that hearing, the sides will argue over defense allegations that prosecutors are not turning over all the documentation they have about the use-of-force opinion.
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office issued a statement:
Like in every case, we have been extremely thorough in this investigation and we will continue to be as we prepare this case for a potential trial. We would be happy to meet with the Governor or his team to discuss any concerns they have about the rules of criminal procedure — the same rules our office follows and fulfills in thousands of cases every year. Otherwise, we will litigate this case in court, which is where it belongs.
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