Minneapolis man given controversial plea deal for deadly carjacking as teen charged with fleeing police

A Minneapolis man who was given a controversial no-prison plea deal after he killed a man during a carjacking when he was 15 was charged this week with allegedly fleeing police at speeds of more than 100 miles per hour in a stolen car.

Husayn Braveheart, 21, was arrested Sunday and charged with felony fleeing from police in Dakota County District Court after Eagan police received an alert of a stolen vehicle. Court documents allege he ran multiple stoplights and drove erratically while being pursued, and a police helicopter was needed to apprehend him.

Braveheart and Jered Ohsman killed Steven Markey in a carjacking in northeast Minneapolis in 2019. Ohsman was 17 at the time and received a 21-year prison sentence. Braveheart pleaded guilty to first-degree attempted assault in that case in 2023 and was given a four-year sentence that was already completed with time served.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty came under heavy scrutiny for her handling of Braveheart’s case. In a rare move District Judge Michael Burns rejected an initial five-year probation offer given to Braveheart. Burns ultimately agreed to the amended charges of first-degree attempted assault that resulted in the four-year sentence.

Catherine Markey, Steven’s mother, said she wasn’t surprised Braveheart was arrested again.

“No! We kept saying all along this person isn’t safe, he’s dangerous,” Catherine Markey said. “Very shortly after he’s out of the workhouse, he’s back in trouble again.”

Braveheart was sentenced to 365 days in the Hennepin County workhouse on Dec. 18. That case stemmed from a second-degree robbery charge in a separate carjacking the same month Markey was killed.

Markey was 39 and working as a paralegal on the day of the crime. Braveheart and Ohsman drew semiautomatic pistols at Markey near the intersection of 14th Avenue and Tyler Street NE. Ohsman ordered Markey out of the vehicle and shot him. Braveheart fired at the vehicle as a bleeding Markey drove off. The teens fled and were arrested after crashing a stolen SUV.

“Supposedly the justification that County Attorney Moriarty gave was about brain science and trauma therapy and things like that, that was her reasoning,” Catherine Markey said Thursday. “I can’t help but notice she doesn’t apologize to the community.”

She said the way prosecutors are treating young criminals is an insult to children.

“Formerly the age of reason was 7,” she said. “You knew right and wrong by 7. You teach a baby to not hurt people, or I did.”

A statement from the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office about the arrest said: “We are aware of the situation in Dakota County. If the allegations are true, Mr. Braveheart will be held accountable.”

Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association general counsel and former Washington County Attorney Imran Ali said in a statement that, “Once again Moriarty’s office prioritizes repeat criminals over community safety. There must be real consequences for violent offenders.”

When Braveheart accepted his plea deal, Moriarty said, “Mr. Braveheart, a juvenile when he committed this terrible crime, has made enormous strides and been responsive to treatment during the past five years of his incarceration.

“That treatment might have prevented this crime in the first place had he received it, and we believe the treatment will prevent a future crime if it continues, which this sentence allows.”

Markey said she found no satisfaction in Braveheart being arrested in connection with another crime, but she was happy he was off the streets.

“I was pleading for everyone else’s kids, it’s too late for me. I don’t want anyone to get hurt. That’s my goal,” Markey said. “They said, ‘You’re out for vengeance.’ We have prisons to keep us safe from people that are dangerous.

“I don’t care about property crimes, things like that, drugs crimes, should they be in prison? I’m not sure. But murderers? Anyhow. I feel like I can’t do anything again, because that’s how this makes you feel. Just stuck.”

When Burns accepted the plea deal and sentenced Braveheart he told him, “I hope that you do follow through with what you’re saying you’re going to do — not only for yourself but for the community at large.”

Braveheart’s next court appearance is Oct. 9 in Dakota County.

Kim Hyatt contributed to this story.