Continued: Porter’s killer may have role in triple homicide

A first-degree murder plea in the death of basketball star-turned-probation officer Howard Porter caused sobs and gasps in a full courtroom Monday -- not just for the horrific details of his fatal beating, but for the surprise revelation that his killer may have been involved in an unsolved triple-murder.

Rashad Raleigh will be sentenced to life without parole on Sept. 8 for his role in Porter's death, which he described in detail as a robbery gone awry. In exchange for his plea, lawyers made clear in court that he will not be prosecuted by Ramsey County for the triple murder of a St. Paul woman, her boyfriend and daughter on March 23, 2007.

Raleigh could still be prosecuted by the federal government, which is investigating the case, lawyers said. A spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office said he could neither confirm nor deny an investigation.

In the triple murder two months before Porter's murder, intruders broke into a home occupied by a family of five and shot three people in the head.

Dead were Maria McLay, 32, her boyfriend Otahl Saunders and her 15-year-old daughter Brittany Kekedakis. Two younger children escaped.

As word spread Monday about Raleigh's revelation on the block where the triple-murder took place, several residents declined to comment out of fear. They hope, however, the victims' families will get some closure soon.

Raleigh is the second person to enter a plea in Porter's death. Tonya E. Johnson already has admitted to luring the former Villanova basketball star to her Sherburne Avenue home in St. Paul. She pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting aggravated robbery.

Fredquinzo (Snake Eyes) King also was charged with first-degree murder in the death, and he appeared in court Monday after Raleigh's plea. Johnson and Raleigh were once roommates. Raleigh and King are friends. None knew Porter.

At King's hearing, defense lawyers Bob Paule and Kate DeCourcy argued a series of motions, including an attempt to throw out King's indictment. District Judge George McGunnigle declined to dismiss the murder indictment.

Before the session, Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Mike Furnstahl noted that King has been offered a plea deal. He could plead guilty to second-degree murder and be eligible for parole after 30 years. He has thus far declined the deal, but it remains on the table -- for now, Furnstahl said. King returns to court on Sept. 8.

In exchange for Raleigh's plea to first-degree murder, a second charge of murder committed during an aggravated robbery was dismissed.

The shock and sadness over Porter's death was evident again in the courtroom full of his family and friends. Porter was 58 and had struggled with cocaine addiction, sought treatment at Hazelden and eventually became a Ramsey County probation officer with a reputation for helping felons turn their lives around.

Raleigh detailed the evening's activities by answering "yes" to a series of events laid out by his lawyer, Dan O'Brien. Porter's widow sat in the front row crying behind her sunglasses, being comforted by friends.

According to Raleigh, the three defendants were drinking alcohol and taking Ecstasy on the night of the killing. He said he told Johnson to get a john and bring him back to the house so they could rob him. Johnson found Porter while streetwalking. She and Porter were in a bedroom, engaged in an unspecified sex act when Raleigh burst into the room with a gun.

Rather than submit, Porter came at Raleigh, who then enlisted King's help. Raleigh said the two of them beat Porter with a gun and chair or stool.

While Porter was down, the men went to check out his car, which was described in court as "fancy." In his trunk, they found evidence he was a Ramsey County probation officer. The men returned to the house and beat him some more. They eventually took him to the car. Raleigh acknowledged the men believed Porter was dead because he defecated in the car.

According to Raleigh, the men dumped his body in a north Minneapolis alley and left the car elsewhere. Raleigh said he was shocked to hear on television a few days later that Porter had been found alive. Porter, however, never regained consciousness and died in a hospital.

The case has been handled in Hennepin County because Porter's body was found in Minneapolis.

First link for Raleigh to killing

The hearing marked the first time that Raleigh's name has publicly been connected to the other killings.

St. Paul Police have said in the past that convicted murderer Tyvarus Lindsey was a "person of interest" in the case. Lindsey was convicted last October in the 2005 murder of Leon Tyrise Brooks and sentenced to 36 years.

Police spokesman Peter Panos said he talked to homicide investigators Monday afternoon about the case.

"Because it's an ongoing investigation, they aren't going to comment on anybody's participation or involvement in the triple homicide," Panos said.

Maria McLay's stepfather, Greg Hartling, said that police have been in touch with the family recently but that he couldn't comment further.

"Things seem to be going in a good direction right now and we're just trying to be cautiously optimistic that something can get taken care of, and we can get some closure," he said.

The case has not been presented to the Ramsey County attorney's office for charges, a spokeswoman said.

Staff writer Pat Pheifer contributed to this report. raolson@startribune.com • 612-673-1747