Former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor set for appeal hearing Wednesday morning
Mohamed Noor listens during his sentencing hearing.[KSTP-TV]
Mohamed Noor, the former Minneapolis police officer who was convicted of killing Justine Ruszczyk Damond in 2017, is set for an appeal hearing Wednesday morning.
Back in April, it was stated by his attorneys that Noor should receive a new trial because the court violated his constitutional right to a public trial and prevented him from explaining his actions.
Attorneys Thomas Plunkett and Peter Wold added then that there was insufficient evidence to convict Noor of third-degree murder and the court wrongly allowed prosecutors to present two expert witnesses who provided similar testimony.
Noor appealed his conviction in July 2019 and is currently serving 12.5 years in prison.
After the trial lasted about a month, jurors convicted the 34-year-old last April of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for shooting Damond.
Noor was responding to Damond’s 911 call about a possible sexual assault behind her south Minneapolis home on July 15, 2017, when he shot the 40-year-old from the passenger seat of his police car. His partner, Matthew Harrity, was in the driver’s seat and did not fire his weapon.
Noor’s attorneys argued that through decisions made by Hennepin County District Judge Kathryn Quaintance, who was not named, the court violated Noor’s constitutional right to a public trial. Quaintance presided over the trial.
Oral arguments are expected to begin at 11:15 a.m. Wednesday.
KSTP will update this story with any updates that surface from the hearing. Be sure to refresh your browser for the most up to date information.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been corrected to reflect the accurate time and date of the hearing.