Appeals Court Upholds Mohamed Noor's 3rd-Degree Murder Conviction
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minnesota Court of Appeals has affirmed the third-degree murder conviction of the former Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed Justine Ruszczyk Damond.
Mohamed Noor was found guilty of third-degree murder and manslaughter in the July 2017 shooting death of Damond and sentenced to 12-and-a-half years in prison.
In their appeal, Noor's lawyers argued the court deprived Noor of his right to a public trial, and deprived him of due process by limiting his ability to explain his actions.
Their 60-page-long filing also said the evidence was insufficient to support the "depraved-mind element" of third-degree murder or to "rebut the reasonable-officer defense," and that the district court "erred by admitting duplicative expert testimony."
The appeals court ruled "the evidence at trial was sufficient to establish, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Noor committed third-degree murder ... even though his death-causing act was directed at a single person and the result of a split-second decision." The court also ruled that "because Noor does not establish a violation of his Sixth Amendment right to a public trial or his right to due process, or other trial error, he is not entitled to a new trial."
In June 2019, Ruszczyk's family received the largest police settlement in Minneapolis history, in the amount of $20 million.
Noor has been moved to an out-of-state prison, and his location is not being disclosed, to protect his safety.