Man takes plea deal for role in 2022 St. Paul murder

A man pleaded guilty to charges that involved the fatal shooting of a man in St. Paul back in January 2022, when the suspect was a teen.

Feysal Jama Ali, now 18, pleaded guilty on Monday to aiding an offender. He was previously facing charges of first and second-degree murder, manslaughter, aggravated robbery and assault after a judge certified him as an adult.

The plea agreement states that Ali will spend four years in prison with credit for time served in exchange for other charges being dismissed.

His sentencing is set for the morning of March 27.

The victim, 38-year-old Otis Elder, died after being taken to the hospital.

CLICK HERE for more coverage on the fatal shooting of Otis Elder.

Last year, Mekhi Speed was charged and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and sentenced to 16 years in prison. Speed was 17 at the time of the shooting.

The case drew intense attention when Minneapolis police served a no-knock warrant at an apartment at the Bolero Flats on Feb. 2. During the raid, Speed’s cousin, Amir Locke, was shot and killed after pointing a handgun at police. That shooting led to calls to ban no-knock warrants, with advocates saying Locke had no warning or opportunity to comply.

CLICK HERE for more coverage on the fatal shooting of Amir Locke.

According to a criminal complaint, cellphone data for Ali’s phone showed he was near the scene of Elder’s death when he was shot and also was near the Bolero Flats when surveillance video showed the suspect vehicle returning to the apartment. DNA found on a jacket worn by one of the suspects shown in the surveillance video also matched Ali.