Moriarty asks judge to adjust life sentence of man convicted of 1995 murder to time served

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty on Wednesday filed a petition to adjust the sentence of a man convicted of murder from life in prison to time served.

Jerome Nunn, 48, is currently serving a life sentence for the murder of Abduel Poe in 1995.

The Minnesota Department of Corrections granted Nunn work release in 2023, and the Attorney’s Office said he now works at EMERGE Community Development, where he helps people with criminal records find meaningful jobs and services as they re-enter society.

The petition is being filed through the 2023 Minnesota Prosecutor-Initiated Sentencing Adjustment law (PISA). Moriarty says this filing is the first time the law is being used in Hennepin County, and possibly in the entire state.

Nunn has been in prison for nearly 30 years. Moriarty says that during this time, he earned his GED, three associate degrees and a paralegal certificate. He also became a minister.

Poe’s mother, Danielle Jones, has also been advocating for his release as well.

In 2014, she wrote to the Board of Pardons, stating, “I am pleading with you for
Jerome’s sentence to be changed to time served and for him to be granted an immediate release and
come out of prison as soon as possible.”

Moriarty said Jones reaffirmed her statement in 2021, as well as on Wednesday.

The petition, which includes details of the case and Nunn’s transformation, can be read below: