A man offered a plea deal by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office last year related to a 2019 murder that left him free after serving little time has been arrested and charged in a new felony case.
Husayn Braveheart was eight days shy of his 16th birthday in June 2019 when he and Jared Ohsman, 16 at the time, attempted to carjack Steven Markey in Northeast Minneapolis and shot him in the process. Markey, 39, died as a result of the shooting near 14th and Central Avenue NE.
Ohsman was eventually convicted on a charge of second-degree murder and was sentenced to over 21 years in prison.
However, in Braveheart’s case, Mary Moriarty’s office eventually offered him probation in August 2023 under the terms of a plea deal in exchange for his guilty plea on aiding and abetting second-degree murder. Under the deal, Braveheart was offered up to one year in the workhouse and five years on probation, with a suspended prison sentence of 21 years.
The family of Markey was outraged at the deal offered by Moriarty’s office and asked for the case to be reassigned to another county for what they called “unethical” conduct and a conflict of interest. The family claimed that Moriarty’s status as chief public defender at the time of the 2019 incident, prior to her election as Hennepin County Attorney, presented a conflict of interest.
Moriarty claimed that imprisoning Braveheart would “disrupt” his progress in the “carefully-selected programming he has received over the past four years,” she said in a press release at the time.
A subsequent rally was held by victims’ families in October of last year at the Hennepin County Government Center in opposition to Moriarty’s handling of several Twin Cities crime cases.
The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association (MPPOA) also issued a statement in opposition to the plea deal offered to Braveheart, calling plea deals offered in some cases by Moriarty’s office “radical.”
Fast-forward to December 2023, Braveheart, then 20, was sentenced in the Markey murder case under a new plea deal that amended the second-degree murder charge to a downgraded charge of first-degree assault. The deal was approved by Judge Michael Burns and required no extra jail time beyond the 54 months Braveheart had already spent incarcerated.
New charge
Braveheart was arrested on Sunday after police in Eagan responded to a report of a stolen vehicle. A squad pulled up to the stationary vehicle and activated its emergency lights when the vehicle immediately pulled away. The officer activated the siren and attempted to pull the vehicle over, but it continued without stopping and reached speeds of up to 100 mph and also ran multiple stop signs.
Braveheart was identified as the driver of the vehicle before the pursuit was eventually terminated, but the vehicle continued to be tracked by a State Patrol helicopter. Braveheart was found hiding near the vehicle and was arrested.
He was charged on Tuesday in Dakota County District Court with felony fleeing police in a motor vehicle, and made his first court appearance the same day. Braveheart remains in custody on $30,000 bail, or $1,500 cash, while he awaits his next hearing on Oct. 9.
The MPPOA issued a new statement on Thursday, again chastising the “sweetheart plea deal” previously offered to Braveheart by Moriarty in the murder case, and offered glib “surprise” at his new arrest:
“Husayn Braveheart, involved with the murder of Steve Markey during an attempting [sic] carjacking and given an extraordinarily low plea deal of probation and time served (where his co-defendant received 22 years) has offended again. Braveheart, now 21, was arrested in a stolen car Sunday morning and charged with fleeing police, going around 100 mph.
Moriarty, in her second lenient plea deal for Braveheart in the Markey murder, noted he was turning his life around, and let him plea to assault, rather than murder. (The initial plea deal was rejected by the judge for being too lenient.) Braveheart was also sentenced to probation in two pending unrelated aggravated robberies.
Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association General Counsel and former Washington County Attorney Imran Ali said, ‘Moriarty insisted on giving no real punishment to a repeat violent offender and carjacker who helped murder an innocent man. Now he’s back on the streets, offending again, and putting more lives at risk. Once again Moriarty’s office prioritizes repeat criminals over community safety. There MUST be real consequences for violent offenders.’
The Markey Family also responded to the charge, saying, ‘While we are not surprised, we are deeply disappointed. The Hennepin County Attorney refused to listen to our concerns and told us that the release of Mr. Braveheart was in the interest of public safety. We are sad that this has resulted in danger to more families.'”
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
