Long murder sentence for Minneapolis man who said he was high when he shot victim over hoodie

A 39-year-old Minneapolis man who said he fatally shot his victim because he was high and took issue with the hoodie he was wearing was sentenced Thursday to a prison term of more than 33 years.

William Howard Sanders pleaded guilty in Hennepin County District Court to second-degree murder and was immediately sentenced in connection with the killing on Sept. 3, 2024, of De’Jaun Marquise Michael Hall, 24, of Minneapolis.

With credit for time in jail since his arrest, Sanders is expected to serve roughly 21⅔ years in prison and the balance on supervised release.

“This was a terrible act of violence,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement. “Mr. Sanders needlessly escalated an argument by drawing and using a firearm to kill De’Jaun Hall.”

According to the criminal complaint:

Police were called about 7 p.m. to the scene of a shooting just south of downtown near S. 1st Avenue and E. 19th Street. They found Hall with several gunshot wounds. He died at the scene.

Surveillance video captured the shooting and showed an argument between Sanders and Hall. When Sanders removed an item from a fanny pack strapped around his shoulders, Hall ran away. Sanders shot him in the back. Hall fell to the ground and held his empty hands in the air.

An investigation traced Sanders to a hotel room. A search of a vehicle linked to Hall found a fanny pack similar to the one seen in the video. Inside was a 9 mm handgun with one round in the chamber and four in the magazine.

Sanders told police he shot Hall after he had been smoking PCP and “did not remember what was going on” in his own mind.