Man faces at least 25 years in death of Gopher football player
Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS -- A jury on Wednesday convicted a Minneapolis man of murder in last year's shooting death of University of Minnesota football player Brandon Hall.
Jermaine Stansberry was on trial for beating and robbing a former Minnesota football player and shooting Hall, the player's friend, after a confrontation Sept. 1 in downtown Minneapolis.
Stansberry, 28, was charged with second-degree murder, first-degree aggravated robbery and being a felon in possession of a weapon. He was found guilty on all counts.
ADVERTISEMENT
Sentencing was scheduled for Sept. 4. He faces at least a 25-year sentence on the murder charge and Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar said she would seek another six years on the robbery charge.
Hall, 19, was a 6-foot-5, 270-pound defensive lineman from Detroit. A redshirt freshman, he played in the Gophers' season opener on Aug. 31, hours before the shooting.
The closing arguments of both Hennepin County prosecutor Robert Streitz and Stansberry's lawyer, David McCormick, focused on the Michael Jordan Washington Wizards Jersey that Stansberry was wearing the night Hall was killed.
The prosecution contends that it points to Stansberry's guilt because several witnesses said the shooter was wearing the number 23 jersey.
The defense said it was the reason for the alleged mistaken identity with Raymond Hardimon Jr., 23.
Stansberry said in his testimony Tuesday that he believes his white jersey was mistaken for the white T-shirt his friend and the person he believes shot Hall was wearing.
"While today's verdict provides some closure to the tragic death of Brandon Hall, his loss is felt in our lives every day. Brandon and his family will always be in the hearts and minds of all our coaches and players," said Gophers coach Glen Mason in a statement.
