Jury Deliberating In Seward Market Triple Slaying
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Closing arguments have been made in the trial of a teenager accused of killing three people in a Minneapolis market.
Jurors went home for the night, but a verdict is expected on Friday.
Lawyers gave their closing arguments Thursday morning in the trial of 18-year-old Mahdi Ali. He is charged with killing three people at Seward Market in south Minneapolis in January of 2010.
A store employee was gunned down, along with his cousin and another customer. The victims were Osman Jama Elmi, 28, of St. Paul; Mohamed Abdi Warfa, 30, of Savage; and Anwar Salah Mohammed, 31, of Brooklyn Park.
The state is relying heavily on surveillance video that they have from the night the attempted robbery and murders took place. They are also relying on the testimony of an 18-year-old who says he was with Ali when the crimes occurred.
In exchange for his testimony, that teen has entered a plea agreement and will be going to prison.
According to the prosecution, all three victims were shot multiple times at close range.
The prosecution also said they have surveillance footage that places Ali at the scene of the market during the crime. They say blood from one of the victims was found on Ali's pants.
The prosecution also said they have testimony from a man who shared a jail cell with Ali, who says the teen admitted to him that he committed the murders.
Officials say no weapon, DNA evidence or prints were ever found at the scene.
If convicted, Ali could spend the rest of his life in prison.
