The statute before the court
Minnesota's sentence-adjustment law allows a prosecutor to ask a court to reduce an already imposed sentence, so long as the request would not increase the person's confinement or supervision. Hennepin County prosecutor Andrew Markquart has invoked that law on behalf of Kemen Taylor II, who is serving life in prison for his role in the 2011 killing of 13-year-old Ray'jon Gomez and the attempted killings of two other teenagers. The law is set out in Minnesota Statutes Section 609.133: Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes.
Judge Shereen Askalani is considering whether the sentence should become 26 years, a change that could make Taylor eligible for release to probation in 2030. The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that Askalani took the request under advisement and was expected to rule by early December: The Minnesota Star Tribune.
Under the statute, the court must decide whether substantial and compelling reasons support an adjustment. It must consider public safety, rehabilitation, the seriousness of the offense, possible sentencing disparities and the statements or interests of victims. The law also gives victims notice and the opportunity to object and address the court: Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes.
The county's argument
Taylor was 25 when he drove the van used in the shooting; he was convicted in 2014 of first-degree murder and eight other felonies but was not the person who fired the gun. Trial testimony indicated that the attack followed the shooting of Taylor's younger brother and that Gomez was not the intended target, according to KROC-AM News.
The two shooters pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and received 34-year sentences, with possible release to probation after 23 years. The county's petition argues that Taylor's punishment was disproportionately severe because he went to trial rather than accepting a plea agreement, and that his role was less direct than that of the shooters. The Minnesota Star Tribune reported those arguments in its account of the petition: The Minnesota Star Tribune.
Markquart has also argued that prosecutors would not charge Taylor with first-degree murder if the case arose under current office practices and that the evidence did not establish a premeditated decision to kill. The request presents those issues as questions about charging policy and the trial penalty, not as a challenge to the jury's underlying verdict.
The victim's objection
Kevin Funchie, Gomez's father, opposes reducing Taylor's sentence and has criticized the process as insufficiently protective of victims. The Minnesota Star Tribune reported Funchie's reaction and his attendance at hearings on the request: The Minnesota Star Tribune.
County Attorney Mary Moriarty has said her office seeks victims' views before filing a petition and considers the effect of a proposed adjustment on victims and their families. Those procedures track the statute's requirement that prosecutors make a good-faith effort to obtain victim input before filing and provide notice of the right to object at the hearing: Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes.
A law with limited results so far
Taylor's request follows Hennepin County's first successful adjustment under the law. In March 2025, Judge Elizabeth Scoggin reduced Jerome Nunn's life sentence to time served after 28 years; the victim's mother supported that petition, according to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.
The county attorney's office has said it reviewed 487 applications since the process began, filed four petitions and obtained two sentence adjustments. Statewide, four sentence reductions were granted in 2025, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune's report: The Minnesota Star Tribune. Taylor's ruling will help clarify how courts weigh rehabilitation and sentencing disparities against the severity of a murder conviction and the objections of a victim's family.
