Cody Fohrenkam to be sentenced March 2 after guilty plea in Deshaun Hill murder
After the Minnesota Court of Appeals threw out his 2023 second‑degree murder conviction and 38.5‑year sentence — finding he was illegally detained and citing prosecutorial misconduct and improperly obtained interrogation statements — Cody Fohrenkam pleaded guilty Feb. 3, one day into his retrial, to the 2022 murder of 15‑year‑old Deshaun Hill Jr. Under a plea agreement that waives his right to appeal, Fohrenkam faces a 340‑month (just over 28‑year) prison term and is scheduled to be sentenced at 3:30 p.m. Monday, March 2, 2026.
📌 Key Facts
- Cody Fohrenkam pleaded guilty on Feb. 3, 2026 — one day into his retrial — to the 2022 murder of 15-year-old Deshaun Hill Jr.
- Under a plea agreement he faces a 340-month (just over 28-year) prison sentence, with sentencing set for 3:30 p.m. Monday, March 2, 2026.
- The plea deal waives his right to appeal issues that could arise at a second trial, effectively locking in the conviction and sentence.
- The Minnesota Court of Appeals previously threw out Fohrenkam’s 2023 second-degree murder conviction and 38.5-year sentence, finding he was illegally detained in Carlton County so Minneapolis investigators could interrogate him.
- The appellate ruling also found prosecutors committed prejudicial misconduct and concluded Fohrenkam’s interrogation statements were not lawfully obtained — though a 19-minute video of those statements was shown to jurors before the earlier conviction.
- Jury selection for the retrial was scheduled to begin in Hennepin County District Court in early February 2026; the retrial commenced and he entered the guilty plea the following day.
- At Fohrenkam’s first new court appearance, Hill’s family erupted in court, berating and threatening him, prompting deputies to clear them from the courtroom and tighten security.
📊 Relevant Data
In Minneapolis, Black suspects committed 78 percent of homicides in which the race of the offender was known in 2022, while Black residents make up about 18 percent of the city's population.
Maligning Minneapolis — City Journal
Nationally, 91 percent of Black homicide victims were killed by Black offenders in 2019, while 81 percent of White victims were killed by White offenders.
Race and crime in the United States — Wikipedia
Cities with high levels of single parenthood have 255 percent higher homicide rates compared to cities with low levels of single parenthood, and areas with higher proportions of single-parent households also have higher fractions of African American residents.
Stronger Families, Safer Streets — Institute for Family Studies
In Minnesota, Black individuals accounted for approximately 58 percent of known homicide offenders in 2020, while comprising 8.3 percent of the state's population.
The demographics of crime in Minnesota — American Experiment
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Fohrenkam pleaded guilty on Feb. 3, one day into his retrial, to the 2022 murder of 15-year-old Deshaun Hill Jr.
- As part of the plea agreement, he faces a 340‑month (just over 28‑year) prison sentence, with sentencing set for 3:30 p.m. Monday, March 2, 2026.
- The plea deal waives his right to appeal issues that could arise at a second trial, locking in the conviction and sentence.
- Jury selection in Cody Fohrenkam’s retrial for the murder of 15-year-old Deshaun Hill Jr. is scheduled to begin Monday in Hennepin County District Court.
- The Minnesota Court of Appeals threw out Fohrenkam’s 2023 second-degree murder conviction and 38.5-year sentence, finding he was illegally detained in Carlton County so Minneapolis investigators could interrogate him.
- The appellate ruling also held that prosecutors committed prejudicial misconduct in their arguments, and that Fohrenkam’s interrogation statements were not lawfully obtained but were still shown to the jury in a 19‑minute video before a conviction that took less than an hour.
- At Fohrenkam’s first new court appearance, Hill’s family erupted in court, berating and threatening him and prompting deputies to clear them from the courtroom and tighten security.