Opening statements delayed until Monday in trial for man accused of killing Deshaun Hill
MINNEAPOLIS -- Opening statements, which were scheduled to begin Friday morning in the trial of the man accused of killing a North High School student, have been delayed until Monday.
Cody Fohrenkam, 30, faces a second-degree murder charge for the death of 15-year-old Deshaun Hill.
The judge granted a request by the defense to delay, saying that it is "safest for the record." Defense attorneys argued that Fohrenkam "was not in a good place" and hadn't had time to talk with his family. They added that Fohrenkam needed time to "address his anxiety and frustrations."
If the court had proceeded on Friday, attorneys threatened that it could lead them to invoke Rule 20, a determination that "there is a belief that a defendant may not be competent to proceed with the case."
The judge said she was willing to grant a one-time recess because she wanted to uphold the integrity of the process, warning that not delaying could risk a successful appeal.
Hill was shot and killed on Feb. 9, 2022, when students were encouraged to leave school early and attend a demonstration following the police killing of Amir Locke. Hill had left school, and prosecutors say surveillance video shows Fohrenkam walk past him moments before gun shots rang out.
Fohrenkam said he was in the area looking for someone who stole his phone.
Last week, Minneapolis Public Schools agreed to a $500,00 settlement with Hill's family.