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Local/state briefs

Defendants unlikely to pay for torching Minneapolis precinct

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Legal experts say it’s unlikely that the four men convicted and ordered to pay for setting fire to a Minneapolis police station during protests over the death of George Floyd will meet their financial obligations.

Four defendants have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in starting the fire. They were also ordered to collectively pay $12 million in restitution to the city of Minneapolis.

Experts say they are unlikely to foot the entire bill, the Star Tribune reported.

“I doubt that the judge expects that any one of these defendants has $12 million lying around,” said Mark Osler, a former federal prosecutor who teaches at the University of St. Thomas School of Law.

The U.S. Department of Justice recovers only $1 out of every $10 owed per year, making restitution sometimes symbolic or a mere formality in a criminal sentence, according to a report from the Congressional Research Service.

Even so, big-dollar restitutions may serve to force the defendant to come to grips with the harm they caused, said Steve Schleicher, former assistant U.S. attorney in Minnesota who helped secure a murder conviction for former officer Derek Chauvin. He said it may cause someone else to think twice before committing a similar crime

Floyd, a Black man in handcuffs, died May 25 after Chauvin, who is white, knelt on his neck. The death set off protests around the world.

Police ID dismembered human remains found in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Authorities have identified the dismembered human remains found on Thursday in northeast Minneapolis.

Police spokesman John Elder said Friday evening that they’ve identified the victim as 36-year-old Adam Richard Johnson, who is believed to have been from Minneapolis.

Minnesota Public Radio reports the circumstances of Johnson’s death remain under investigation. Elder said investigators don’t have any indication the body was frozen or otherwise preserved, and they think his death was recent. There have been no arrests in the case.

Elder said investigators have gone back through years of cases and contacted neighboring agencies.

“This appeared to be a very focused attack. This did not appear to be random,” he said. “And so that’s the hypothesis that we’re working off of. Again, nothing that leads us to believe that there’s a threat to public safety.”

Police: 5 people shot, wounded

near University of Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Police say five people were shot in the Dinkytown neighborhood Friday near the University of Minnesota.

The Star Tribune reports just before midnight, police responded to a call of shots fired. Officers found three men and two women had suffered noncritical gunshot wounds.

Police spokesman John Elder says the five victims were taken by ambulance to local hospitals.

Elder says the suspect fled before police arrived.

Twin Cities woman shot and killed 4 days into new marriage

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Twin Cities woman was less than a week into her new marriage to a fellow Air Force veteran when she was allegedly shot to death by her ex-husband.

Police say Lauri Deatherage was killed inside her Robbinsdale home Friday, four days after both her 48th birthday and her wedding to Billy Deatherage. Lauri Deatherage’s 64-year-old ex-husband was arrested after a 10-hour standoff with police and is awaiting charges, the Star Tribune reported.

Billy Deatherage told the newspaper Sunday that he met his wife 30 years ago while stationed at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota. They reconnected as friends about four years ago and he proposed this spring.

“Our time was cut short by an atrocious act,” said Deatherage,

Civil court records show that Lauri Deatherage finalized a divorce with the suspect about three years ago. She was in the process of moving to Arkansas to be with her new husband.

St. Cloud police: Man killed in an apparent random shooting

ST. CLOUD (AP) — St. Cloud police say a man was shot and killed early Sunday in an apparent random act.

Police received a report at 6:16 a.m. that a man was shot while standing inside the door of a Sc. Cloud residence. The man was taken to a local hospital where he later died.

Less than an hour later, police received a call that a man was carrying a handgun while walking. The man was arrested without incident. Police said he admitted to shooting the victim.

Police said it’s believed there were no connections between the suspect and victim or to the neighborhood where the shooting occured. The suspect is from Duluth.

Groups merge to support Sioux Falls startups, entrepreneurs

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Two groups have merged to support entrepreneurs and startups in Sioux Falls.

The Zeal Center for Entrepreneurship will merge with and take the name of Start Up Sioux Falls. The nonprofit recently revealed new branding, website and announced plans to move downtown.

Sioux Falls business leader Matt Paulson said it didn’t make sense for Sioux Falls to have two organizations that focus on supporting startups and entrepreneurs, South Dakota Public Broadcasting reported.

“We knew we would be stronger if we combined efforts. For the organization to be successful in the future we needed to combine the best aspects of Zeal and the best aspects of Startup Sioux Falls into one organization,” Pauls said.

Brienne Maner, who heads the new Startup Sioux Falls, said the merger creates a “more streamlined approach to the city’s economics.”

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