Cody Fohrenkam Sentenced to 340 Months for Killing 15-Year-Old Deshaun Hill Jr.

Cody Logan Fohrenkam, 33, was sentenced to 340 months in prison, equal to 28 years and 4 months, after pleading guilty to one count of second-degree intentional murder in the killing of 15-year-old Deshaun Hill Jr. The plea, entered on February 3, 2026, came one day into a retrial ordered after the Minnesota Court of Appeals threw out Fohrenkam’s earlier conviction.

Prosecutors and court filings say the killing took place in February 2022 in north Minneapolis as Hill was walking to a bus stop just blocks from Minneapolis North High School. Surveillance footage described at later hearings shows Hill brush past Fohrenkam several blocks from the school, the two possibly brushing shoulders, Fohrenkam pause, turn and fire three shots, then run away.

Deshaun Hill Jr. was a Minneapolis North High School student, a standout quarterback and an honor roll pupil who family members described as an artist with big plans. Hill’s aunt read a victim impact statement in court that said, "When he spoke, you listened. He had a soft spirit and a good heart," and, "Deshaun was an artist who, as you all know, he took his education seriously. He had dreams and goals. He worked hard to make his family proud." The family played a tribute video at the March 2, 2026 sentencing hearing and read additional impact statements on his behalf.

The case has an uneven procedural history. A jury convicted Fohrenkam in January 2023 of second-degree intentional murder and second-degree unintentional felony murder after less than an hour of deliberation, and he was sentenced about a month later to roughly 38.5 years. That conviction was vacated by the Minnesota Court of Appeals after judges found incriminating statements had been obtained while Fohrenkam was illegally detained in Carlton County and held until Minneapolis investigators arrived. The appeals court ordered a retrial.

One day into that retrial, Fohrenkam accepted a plea on February 3, 2026 to a single count of second-degree intentional murder that included a waiver limiting appeals of retrial issues. At the March 2 sentencing, Judge Julie Allyn imposed what the court characterized as a guideline sentence of 340 months and granted Fohrenkam credit for 1,476 days of prior incarceration, roughly four years. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office acknowledged the difficulty of retrying the case, saying, "The HCAO faced significant challenges that did not exist during the first trial due to evidentiary rulings from both the Court of Appeals and the trial court."

Defense counsel apologized on Fohrenkam’s behalf and Fohrenkam did not address the court. Hill’s mother, Tuesday Sheppard, voiced raw anger at the outcome, telling the judge, "I just want to let you know you failed my family," and asking, "Y'all let this murderer who killed my only son, 15 years old, he's only going to do 28 years?" She also said, "He’s only going to do 28 years, and he’s not even going to do that. He’s going to be out in about 15."

Under the plea terms Fohrenkam is eligible for parole after serving two-thirds of the 340-month sentence, roughly 226.7 months or about 18 years and 10 months, with the 1,476 days credited toward time already served. The sentence closes a chapter opened by the February 2022 killing and the appellate fight over illegally obtained statements, but the family’s courtroom grief and the case’s legal twists remain part of the record.