Some Minneapolis carjacking victims struggle to find closure
MINNEAPOLIS -- As carjackings plague the metro, suspects are slowly making their way through the court system.
But not all victims get their day in court. WCCO has tracked and followed Minneapolis carjacking arrests, charges and sentences for the first full year with data: 2021. Some victims are struggling to find closure after an unexpected turn in their case.
It was in her south Minneapolis garage where Melanie McCall says a young man held a gun to her head, demanding the keys to her car.
"At every step of the way it was, 'Hurry up or I'm going to kill you. Do this now or I will kill you,'" McCall said.
The carjackers got away with the two vehicles in the garage in December. They were recovered while McCall awaited word about who was responsible.
"We'd love to see them arrested, held to account, we would want to look them in the eye," McCall said.
She says she was thrown a curveball this spring. Her investigator told her they had a suspect.
And that 21-year-old suspect was found dead. WCCO discovered it was an accidental overdose of fentanyl at the end of March.
"Well at least he can't hurt anybody else. That immediately was replaced with sadness. I wanted to see him held to account, I did not want him dead. The fact that he is dead is a tragedy," McCall said.
McCall's case is not counted in Minneapolis carjacking arrest stats. Last year fewer than 15% of cases led to arrests. The Hennepin County Attorney's Office charged 90 cases, the majority juveniles
Since we last checked, their sentences hadn't changed dramatically. One more was certified as an adult, bringing the number to six. Sentences range from four to eight years. The pending case was dismissed, and the latest case is pending. The majority of the data is private because the suspect is under 16.
In addition to the juveniles certified as adults sentenced, seven adult suspects have been convicted on charges from fleeing police to aggravated robbery. WCCO found sentences ranging from a year and a day to eight years. A judge sent one carjacker to a diversion program. Six had cases dismissed for lack of evidence or part of plea deals. The remaining cases are still going through the system.
McCall says her carjacking changed the way she lives.
"We do look over our shoulder, we do have some fear," McCall said.
She wishes she had her day in court.
"[I have to] reconcile myself that this is not going to have any sort of closure in the traditional sense," McCall said.
And she hopes more victims find closure through the justice system.
See our previous reporting on carjacking arrests, and sentences.
