Minneapolis man spared prison in teen's fatal stabbing in northern Minnesota home

A Minneapolis man has been spared prison and put on probation for fatally stabbing a 19-year-old in the chest after they argued in a north-central Minnesota home more than a year ago.

Floyd R. Desjarlais, 35, was sentenced Tuesday in Cass County District Court after pleading guilty to first-degree assault in connection with the killing of Makhoa J. Martin on May 14, 2022, at a home in Pike Bay Township, near Cass Lake, Minn.

In exchange for the plea, second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter charges against Desjarlais were dismissed.

Judge Christopher Strandlie's sentence sets aside a term of 15¾ years and calls for Desjarlais to be on supervised probation for five years. In lieu of a jail sentence, Desjarlais was given credit for the 12½ months he spent in custody as his case moved toward conclusion.

Martin was stabbed in the chest, head and two fingers, and suffered bruises to his abdomen, arm, hands, legs and liver, according to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office.

According to the criminal complaint:

The owner of the home in the 16100 block of Waboose Trail said he was the victim's grandfather and that Desjarlais wanted to "fight all of us." He said the suspect and his grandson were drinking and arguing in a backroom.

Officers took Desjarlais from the home to a hospital to be treated for injuries. He denied doing anything wrong and told authorities, "I got jumped."

However, the plea deal filed in May includes Desjarlais acknowledging in his own handwriting that "I am waiving my claim of self-defense."

Desjarlais' criminal history in Minnesota includes convictions for assault from 2007 to 2014.