Charges: Man posted video on Facebook of himself beating victim who later died

A Minneapolis man who posted a video to social media of himself beating a victim who later died from his injuries has been charged with murder, court documents show.

Emmanuel Troy Davis, 19, faces one count of second-degree murder in connection with a March 6 assault and robbery in a Minneapolis apartment that resulted in the victim dying in the hospital weeks later, on March 29. The victim’s name has not yet been released to the public.

According to a criminal complaint, officers found the victim unconscious just after 10 p.m. in an apartment building on the 1300 block of Nicollet Avenue after a family member alerted police that she had received a “disturbing” video of her family member being attacked.

The video is shot from a third-person view and shows a man, who multiple people identified to police as Davis, stomping and kicking on the victim’s head before gripping him by the throat and taking his cellphone from his pocket. The video appears to be recorded by a female, who is heard laughing and saying, “Damn,” in the background.

Prosecutors say this video was posted to Facebook from the victim’s phone. In a post-Miranda statement, Davis told investigators he sent videos and messages to people from the victim’s phone as well.

Davis also said he had hired his girlfriend, a juvenile female, to “lure” the victim to the apartment and that he planned to beat the victim up. Surveillance video from the apartment shows the victim entering the apartment building with a female about 50 minutes before first responders arrived.

Davis is already in custody for probation violations related to prior aggravated robbery offenses. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance Friday afternoon.

The complaint states prosecutors are seeking an upward sentencing departure “due to the particular cruelty shown to [the] Victim and his family.”