MINNEAPOLIS (KFGO/WCCO) – An 18-year-old man charged in the 2023 deadly mass shooting at a popular outdoor music venue in Minneapolis will likely avoid prison time after striking a plea deal that was announced Tuesday evening by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
Cyrell Boyd will testify against Dominic James Burris, the major perpetrator of the August 2023 shooting at Nudieland that left August Golden, 35, dead and six others wounded.
“The plea deal that we have agreed to with Mr. Boyd is critical to us pursuing an intentional murder case against Dominic Burris, who was the instigator and main perpetrator of the terrible events that occurred at Nudieland,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. “According to our investigation, Mr. Burris repeatedly and intentionally fired his gun into the gathering. Mr. Boyd provided critical evidence that allowed us to develop an ironclad case against Mr. Burris. This led us to change our plea offer for Mr. Burris which includes an increased period of incarceration and will require him to admit to intentional 2nd degree murder, reflecting his primary role in this horrific incident.”
The shooting unfolded in the backyard of a home on the 2200 block of 16th Avenue as a local band was finishing a concert with around 30 to 50 people in attendance.
Witnesses told investigators that Burris and Boyd were not part of the crowd filled with people in the LGBTQ+ community and allies. At one point, investigators say Boyd and Burris made derogatory comments about the sexual orientations of the people at the concert before several gunshots were fired.
Specific terms of Boyd’s plea deal include:
- Mr. Boyd will plead guilty to felony Aiding an Offender After the Fact under Extended Juvenile Jurisdiction.
- An 86-month adult prison sentence will be stayed, and Mr. Boyd will be committed to the Department of Corrections in Red Wing for the loss of life program.
- At the successful conclusion of his time at Red Wing, Mr. Boyd will return to Hennepin County District Court where he will be certified as an adult and plead guilty to three additional charges: second-degree assault, aiding and abetting first-degree assault, and aiding and abetting second-degree assault.
- This plea will include a 110-month adult prison sentence that will be stayed, and Mr. Boyd will continue on probation for five years.
- In total, Mr. Boyd will be under state supervision until the age of 26 with a stayed adult prison sentence that may be imposed if he does not comply with the terms of his agreement or probation.
Burris faces one count of second-degree murder, one count of first-degree assault, and five counts of second-degree assault.
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