A new law that redefines aiding and abetting murder led to the release of two women from jail last week, who had earlier entered guilty pleas in connection with the death of a Minnesota man during an attempted drug theft.
According to Fox Minneapolis, Megan Cater and Briana Martinson were charged in the 2017 death of 19-year-old Corey Elder in Bloomington. The effort to steal drugs from the victim was the driving force behind the killing.
The pair stormed into Elder’s residence on April 27, 2017, with two others. Cater and Martinson plundered the home as the other two suspects viciously beat Elder before fatally shooting him, investigators claimed.
Minnesota lawmakers begin discussing the bill pertaining to physician-assisted suicide.
After negotiating plea agreements to avoid receiving life sentences, the two women were each given a sentence of 13.5 years in prison. But as a result of recent changes to the state’s laws regarding aiding and abetting murder, only individuals who actually carry out a murder or directly assist in a killing may face charges.
Those who are currently incarcerated may be subject to the new law retrospectively.
After Elder’s family gave the court a victim impact statement, Cater and Martinson were given new sentences for lesser aiding and abetting first-degree burglary offenses. Cater got more than five years. She had been in service for over six years already.
After serving more than six years, Martinson’s sentence was lowered to almost five years. That day, both women were freed from prison. Originally, they were intended for publication in 2026’s autumn.
