Man pleads guilty in 2021 Minnesota graduation party shooting that killed 14-year-old

A Minnesota man has pleaded guilty to charges related to a shooting at a 2021 graduation party that killed a 14-year-old boy.

The Associated Press
Demaris Hobbs-Ekdahl's mother, Trisha Eckdahl, center released balloons along with her sister, Katie Eckdahl, and brother Jeff Eckdahl, right. With them was her son's best friend, Michael Pflepsen, left, and his grandmother, Penny Eckdahl. ] JEFF WHEELER • jeff.wheeler@startribune.com
Demaris Hobbs-Ekdahl's mother, Trisha Eckdahl, center, released balloons along with her sister, Katie Eckdahl, and brother Jeff Eckdahl, right, at Richard Walton Memorial Park in Oakdale on June 6, 2021. With them was her son's best friend, Michael Pflepsen, left, and his grandmother, Penny Eckdahl. (Jeff Wheeler, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

STILLWATER, Minn. — A Minnesota man has pleaded guilty to charges related to a shooting at a 2021 graduation party that killed a 14-year-old boy.

Enrique Lucio Davila, 26, of St. Paul, pleaded guilty Friday to aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional murder without intent and second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon. Under a plea agreement, Davila will get 20 years in prison when he's sentenced May 3, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported.

Demaris Hobbs-Ekdahl was in the backseat of a car on June 5, 2021, when he was killed during a gun battle that involved his stepfather. The stepfather and another man are serving prison sentences for their roles in the shootout.

Police said more than 40 bullets sprayed the area of the graduation party, hitting houses and cars, and terrifying the roughly three dozen partygoers.

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