Jury finds Cody Fohrenkam guilty of killing Deshaun Hill Jr.

A Hennepin County jury has found a 30-year-old man guilty of killing Minneapolis North High School student Deshaun Hill Jr.

After prosecutors rested their case against Cody Fohrenkam on Thursday, Fohrenkam officially waived his right to testify in his own defense. Closing statements were then made and the jury was handed the case early in the afternoon.

RELATED: Testimony begins in trial of man accused of killing high school student

Just an hour after they received the case, jurors returned a verdict, finding Fohrenkam guilty on both counts in Hill’s murder.

Fohrenkam found GUILTY

— Brett Hoffland (@BrettHoffland) January 26, 2023

Since the trial started Monday, prosecutors said Fohrenkam shot Hill after they brushed shoulders while walking past each other last year, then ran away.

“He ran away, leaving 15-year-old Deshaun Hill to die on a street corner for no apparent reason,” Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Chris Filipski told jurors Monday.

Fohrenkam’s attorney said there was “little evidence” supporting that allegation.

Fohrenkam now faces up to 40 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 28.

Outside the courtroom Thursday afternoon, Hill’s family celebrated the verdict and also renewed a call for an investigation into whether the North High principal violated protocols by letting students out to protest the death of Amir Locke. However, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said there is no basis for charges against the principal.

“What I hear from them is tremendous pain and searching for answers for what was a completely senseless and random crime. Having said that, there just are not any criminal charges that will be brought against the principal,” Moriarty said Thursday afternoon.

Moriarty and Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara also said there are too many guns on the streets and strong partnerships are needed to help reduce gun violence and hold criminals responsible.

“We will not be in a state, we will not be in a place where we’ll be able to significantly reduce gun violence and violent crime and maintain those reductions without strong partnerships with all members of our community, and I’m just thankful that, in this case, so many members of the community were willing to step up and say something,” O’Hara said.

See the full post-verdict press conference with Hill’s family and one with Moriarty and O’Hara, below.

The jury’s foreperson, Steve Sobolewski, called the case “heavy.”

“Especially for a murder case, especially for a kid — I mean, a mom lost her son,” Sobolewski said.

“Although it’s a burden for us, you know, Ms. Shepherd lost a kid. So, that’s the important part,” Sobolewski added. “My heart goes out to her, goes out to that community, it’s a tough, a tough thing.”

The jury deliberated for about an hour. Sobolewski credits video, some shared by community members, for helping he and the other jurors for reaching their verdict.

Before proceedings started, Fohrenkam had requested the case be delayed and moved out of the county, citing the recent release of the Showtime documentary “Boys in Blue,” which highlights the North High football team and remembers Hill, the team’s star quarterback.

Showtime and Paramount Global’s “Content For Change” initiative announced a $300,000 donation to North High on behalf of the documentary on Wednesday.