Missouri man receives 51-year prison sentence for double homicide in north Minneapolis

A Kansas City, Mo. man learned his future Friday morning after pleading guilty to his involvement in a 2022 shooting.

20-year-old Lavell Jacvon Piggie was sentenced to 612 months (51 years) behind bars.

Piggie was initially charged with two counts of second-degree murder for the deaths of 23-year-old Malik Travon Carr-Riggins and 30-year-old Case Samuel Ritzman but was indicted on an additional two counts of first-degree murder in March of 2023.

RELATED: Victims in Minneapolis double homicide identified

As previously reported by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, he pleaded guilty in May to two counts of second-degree intentional murder in exchange for the dismissal of the two counts of first-degree murder and a maximum sentence of just over 50 years (613 months).

RELATED: Double homicide under investigation in north Minneapolis

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty issued the following statement after Piggie was sentenced:

“Mr. Piggie admitted to a brazen double murder and he has now been held legally accountable. I’m hopeful today’s sentencing can help these families move forward.

Gun violence remains far too common in our communities. Yet again, we see in this case how the prevalence of guns can turn disputes violent, even among those who were apparently friends. as a community, this violence must spur us to action. We will continue to work with law enforcement to aggressively prosecute violence and hold accountable those who are responsible.

But arrest and prosecution will never be enough. We must address the issues that make violence a viable decision for far too many people. We must seek to prevent violence before another life is lost or another family is shattered.”

Mary Moriarty

In February of 2022, officers were called to the Willard-Hay neighborhood on Minneapolis’ north side around 3:43 p.m. on a report of shots fired, according to a criminal complaint.

When they arrived, officers saw a four-door sedan in drive on the curb in the snowbank at 2031 Sheridan Ave. North. Two men with gunshot wounds were in the front seat, officials say. The victims suffered four gunshot wounds each and were declared dead on the scene.

The complaint noted that officers collected eight cartridge casings from the back of the car, adding that the vehicle was full of items and the only place to sit was the back passenger seat.

A witness who had been with one of the victims prior to the shooting told police that the victim and a man identified by the nickname “Trig” were hanging out with her at a residence on Bryant Avenue when the second victim picked the men up, according to the complaint.

Surveillance video obtained by law enforcement shows one of the victims getting into the sedan with “Trig,” who was wearing a black-and-grey coat and sat in the back passenger seat.

Officers say they collected surveillance footage from a residence near the shooting which captured the sound of eight gunshots at 3:42 p.m.

The complaint added that several witnesses reported seeing a man wearing a black-and-grey coat running from the scene of the shooting.

The witness who had been with the victim and the man known as “Trig” prior to the shooting told police that “Trig” contacted her after the incident and asked for the victim’s keys, which he had left at the Bryant Avenue residence, according to the complaint. The witness said that “Trig” personally got the keys from her at the residence on Bryant Avenue shortly after the shooting.

Officers determined that the man identified as “Trig” is Lavell Piggie. When the witness was shown a photo of Piggie, she identified him as “Trig.”

During a search of Piggie’s residence, law enforcement say they found suspected crack cocaine, marijuana, fentanyl and other narcotics as well as $3000 cash and a bag filled with .40 caliber live rounds of ammunition.