Two defendants have pleaded guilty in the shooting death of a man in a Fridley home during a drug deal gone awry several months ago.
Johnny E. Edwards, 44, of Brooklyn Center, pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder in connection with the May 27 death of 54-year-old James L. Chapman, of Minneapolis.
Accomplice Bryston M. Hill-Turnipseed, 35, who has no permanent address, pleaded guilty to aiding an offender during the commission of second-degree murder.
Both remain jailed ahead of sentencing scheduled for Feb. 13. Prosecutors said they will seek a term ranging from 23 to 30¼ years for Edwards, the defendant who shot Chapman and who also has a violent criminal past. Hill-Turnipseed has already agreed to a term of 11½ years.
Chapman was invited to the home on Osborne Road to sell marijuana to Hill-Turnipseed. Hill-Turnipseed arrived alone but left briefly and returned with Edwards, who was armed.
Prosecutors say no words were exchanged before Edwards shot Chapman in the chest, then the two defendants fled in an SUV. Investigators arrested both suspects at a Minneapolis gas station.
Edwards' criminal history in Minnesota includes convictions for first- and second-degree assault in 1999, first-degree criminal sexual assault of a child in 2008, and other lesser crimes, all in Hennepin County. He was sentenced to more than 14 years in prison for the sex assault. He was put on supervised release on Nov. 28, 2017.
