Co-defendant’s change of heart restores murder case in shooting of man at Minneapolis gas station

A change of heart by a co-defendant has led to the restoration of murder charges against a 20-year-old man accused of shooting a 19-year-old man more than 2 ½ years ago at a Minneapolis gas station on West Broadway.

A second-degree intentional murder charge was refiled in juvenile court in Hennepin County last week against Albert J. Lucas, of Minnetonka, in connection with the shooting of George F. Zeon, of Plymouth, on May 6, 2021, at the Amstar gas station on West Broadway between James and Knox avenues.

Lucas was 17 years old at the time of the shooting. The County Attorney’s Office said it intends to have him charged as an adult, which it had done previously. Lucas was charged by summons and is due in court Feb. 6.

The co-defendant, Yalayna R. Butcher-Griffin, appeared in court before the trial was set to begin in April, said Nicholas Kimball, spokesman for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. But despite being under court order to show up in the days ahead, Butcher-Griffin failed to appear and could not be located, necessitating the case’s dismissal.

That all changed once the “cooperating co-defendant [was] in custody,” last week’s juvenile petition read. Butcher-Griffin remains jailed ahead of a March 5 court hearing. Her attorney was not immediately available to comment on the allegations.

According to the petition:

Surveillance video showed a vehicle pull up to Zeon as he pumped gas. Two males left the vehicle, entered the store, came out and confronted Zeon, whose girlfriend was with him.

She told police the suspects were asking Zeon about being in a gang, which confused her.

Lucas drew a handgun and shot Zeon in the head and elsewhere. The two males fled in their vehicle, with Butcher-Griffin driving. Nearly two weeks later, police found her driving the same vehicle. Butcher-Griffin picked out Lucas as the shooter from a police photo lineup.

Police spotted Lucas in a vehicle in Minnetonka and arrested him. A loaded handgun was seized near where he had been sitting.