Current:Home > reviewsMurder trial set for September for Minnesota trooper who shot motorist during freeway stop -Streamline Finance
Murder trial set for September for Minnesota trooper who shot motorist during freeway stop
FinLogic FinLogic Quantitative Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-07 15:25:58
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota state trooper who’s charged with murder for fatally shooting a motorist as he tried to pull away from a traffic stop is set to go on trial in September.
Trooper Ryan Londregan, 27, pleaded not guilty Wednesday in the death of Ricky Cobb II. It was the first hearing in the case for a new prosecution team from a Washington, D.C., law firm that Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty hired to take over after the original leader from her office stepped away from the politically charged case.
“I plead innocent your honor,” Londregan told Judge Tamara Garcia.
Garcia scheduled the trial to start Sept. 9, with one week blocked out for jury selection and two weeks for testimony. The next hearing is set for Aug. 12 to iron out rules for the trial. The charges include second-degree murder, manslaughter and assault.
Defense attorney Chris Madel moved to disqualify the special prosecutors from Steptoe LLC, arguing that firm’s $850 per-hour, per-attorney fee, and $250 an hour for paralegals, would factor into prosecutorial decisions. But he then dropped that motion and demanded a speedy trial.
The outside lawyers include four former federal prosecutors and one former Manhattan assistant district attorney. Moriarty has said she hired them because her office lacks enough experienced attorneys, given its current caseload, to handle the high-profile and complicated case. The contract includes an initial $1 million billing cap for their services.
Troopers pulled the 33-year-old Cobb over on Interstate 94 in Minneapolis last July 31 because the lights were out on his car. They then found that the Spring Lake Park man was wanted for violating a protection order in neighboring Ramsey County. Londregan, who is white, shot Cobb twice as the Black man tried to drive away after troopers ordered him to get out of his car.
Madel maintains that Londregan’s use of force was justified to protect himself and another trooper who was partially inside the car.
Law enforcement and Republican leaders have been calling on Democratic Gov. Tim Walz to take the case away from Moriarty, a former public defender who was elected on a platform of police accountability following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis officer in 2020, and turn it over to Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison. Walz has expressed concern about the direction of the case but has not acted.
Cobb’s family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit last month, alleging that the stop and the shooting were unjustified.
veryGood! (446)
Related
- USA women's basketball live updates at Olympics: Start time vs Nigeria, how to watch
- Can dogs eat apples? Why taking your pup to the orchard this fall may be risky.
- Haitian group in Springfield, Ohio, files citizen criminal charges against Trump and Vance
- Whoopi Goldberg asks for 'a little grace' for Janet Jackson after Kamala Harris comments
- Jury finds man guilty of sending 17-year-old son to rob and kill rapper PnB Rock
- Longshoremen from Maine to Texas appear likely to go on strike, seaport CEO says
- US to hand over pest inspections of Mexican avocados to Mexico and California growers aren’t happy
- Trump tells women he ‘will be your protector’ as GOP struggles with outreach to female voters
- Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
- Biden is making his long-awaited visit to Africa in October. He’ll stop in Germany, then Angola
Ranking
- Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
- GOP governor halts push to prevent Trump from losing one of Nebraska’s electoral votes
- Melania Trump is telling her own story — and again breaking norms for American first ladies
- Who's in the disguise? Watch as 7-time Grammy Award winner sings at Vegas karaoke bar
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- Union workers at Hawaii’s largest hotel go on strike
- Marcellus Williams to be executed in Missouri woman's brutal murder; clemency denied
- JoJo Siwa's glittery jockstrap and chest plate outfit prompts mixed reactions
Recommendation
3 years after the NFL added a 17th game, the push for an 18th gets stronger
When does 'Grotesquerie' premiere? Date, time, where to watch new show featuring Travis Kelce
Whoopi Goldberg asks for 'a little grace' for Janet Jackson after Kamala Harris comments
Tropical Storm Helene strengthens as hurricane warnings cover parts of Florida and Mexico
DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
Hurricane Helene: Tracking impact of potential major hurricane on college football
Julianne Hough Reveals Her “Wild” Supernatural Abilities
Maine’s watchdog agency spent years investigating four child deaths. Here are the takeaways.