Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said the emergence of “new evidence” caused her office to drop three felony charges against Minnesota State Trooper Ryan Londregan. Speaking at a Monday press conference, Moriarty criticized law enforcement, Gov. Tim Walz, and supporters of Trooper Londregan.
Months ago, Moriarty brought three felony charges against Trooper Londregan, including second-degree unintentional murder. The charges were connected to a July 2023 incident that resulted in the death of Ricky Cobb II.
Since then, two use-of-force experts left the prosecution, multiple State Patrol trainers issued sworn declarations that Londregan acted in accordance with his training, the lead prosecutor departed the case, and Moriarty hired an outside team of Washington, D.C. lawyers to manage the prosecution.
Moriarty’s decision to charge Londregan, and her office’s handling of the case, have been roundly criticized by law enforcement groups, elected officials, and many Minnesotans.
On Sunday night, news broke that Moriarty’s office had dropped all the charges against Londregan.
At a Monday press conference, the county attorney explained that her decision to drop the charges was connected to the emergence of “new evidence” which changed the nature of the case. In short, Moriarty said her office was informed that Trooper Londregan intended to testify that he shot Cobb because the state trooper thought Cobb was reaching for the state trooper’s firearm.
According to the county attorney, Londregan’s defense team had never previously indicated that Londregan intended to make such statements at trial. Subsequently, prosecutors reviewed video evidence of the event with this new information in mind. After consulting with a use-of-force expert, prosecutors determined that they would not be able to disprove Londregan’s claim beyond a reasonable doubt.
As such, the charges were dropped.
In addition to explaining her reasons for dropping the charges, Moriarty took issue with the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association (MPPOA) and supporters of Trooper Londregan.
In April, hundreds of Minnesotans gathered at the Hennepin County Government Center to express their support for the state trooper. The event was organized in part by the MPPOA. At her press conference, Moriarty said that members of her staff “were frightened at the spectacle, which reminded them of Jan. 6.”
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty criticizes Trooper Londregan's supporters who peacefully protested outside of court, comparing them to January 6 rioters. pic.twitter.com/vxWcd6Ivc0
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) June 3, 2024
The county attorney also accused members of the Minnesota State Patrol of hampering the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s investigation into the shooting by “refusing to participate in interviews.”
Regarding her decision to bring in the Washington, D.C. law firm Steptoe, Moriarty said cases like the Londregan one are considered “career killers” by prosecutors because of the “potential retaliation against them by law enforcement.” Moriarty claimed that prosecutors with the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office (HCAO) had received threats and retaliation from law enforcement in years past. Later, the county attorney said those threats took the form of “slow-walking cases,” not physical harm.
The county attorney explained that no other prosecutors in Minnesota wanted to take the case because of staffing issues and concerns about “attacks” from the defense, so the HCAO hired the Steptoe attorneys to prosecute. Additionally, Moriarty claimed the defense attempted to intimidate those involved in the case.
Moriarty also criticized Gov. Walz, saying he has “been very active in inserting himself into this case.” Gov. Walz had expressed concern with how the HCAO was handling the prosecution and indicated he was open to removing the case from Moriarty’s office. On Monday, the county attorney questioned why more people did not ask about the ethics of Gov. Walz weighing in on a case that involves a state agency, the Minnesota State Patrol, which is overseen by the governor.
“Why is it appropriate for a governor who has never picked up the phone to call me, who is not a lawyer, who does not understand the nuances of this case, to talk about it publicly?” asked Moriarty.
Londregan’s attorney, Chris Madel, called an impromptu press conference Monday afternoon to respond to Moriarty’s claims.
“The county attorney’s office had this from day one,” Madel said, referring to the “new evidence.”
“For her to come out now and say, ‘Oh my gosh, I had no idea the defense was hiding this great evidence’ is just plain absurd,” he said. “She was denigrating the first responders over and over again today.
“What I heard over and over again today is, ‘I am so sorry for the Cobb family.’ How about someone being a little bit sorry for what Ryan Londregan had to go through? How about one apology from the county attorney for putting him through this mess?” he added. “I thank God I’m not a cop. I certainly thank God I’m not a cop in Hennepin County and have to answer to the likes of Mary Moriarty.
“They (Londregan and his wife) can’t stay in their own home right now because of these threats,” Madel continued. “Now the county attorney has the temerity to get some sort of sympathy from you regarding some voicemails that she received? What I saw today at that press conference was delusional and it was unhinged, and it was remarkably unfair to my client. He deserves an apology. He deserves an adult to stand up and say, ‘You know what? I messed up since day one. I made a major mistake.'”
Madel also said he took “great offense” at Moriarty’s Jan. 6 reference.
“These are people who supported a here who was charged with murder. When did that become wrong?” he said. “To draw a comparison to that just shows how delusional this person is. This is a person who should not — underline, all caps, bold — not be county attorney.
“She needs to resign.”
In the wake of the dropped charges, the Minnesota State Patrol Troopers Association released a statement in which they condemned the HCAO for charging Trooper Londregan in the first place. In their statement, the law enforcement organization said the HCAO manipulated the facts and engaged in prosecutorial misconduct.
Anthony Gockowski contributed to this report.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
