Man convicted in 1992 murder of Minneapolis police officer to remain in prison

Amwati Pepi Mckenzie, one of four men convicted in the 1992 murder of Minneapolis police officer Jerry Haaf, will remain in prison, the Minnesota Corrections Department said Tuesday.

Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell denied Mckenzie's supervised release after an hourlong, closed-door hearing. Mckenzie will receive another review of his life sentence in 30 months.

Schnell met with Haaf family members, including Marilyn Haaf, the police officer's widow; daughter Cindy Benson; and son Jerome Haaf, before conducting a video interview with Mckenzie, who is being held in the state prison at Lino Lakes. In a subsequent interview with the Star Tribune, Schnell declined to say what family members told him.

Schnell made his decision after what was described in a news release as a "thorough review" of case files, Mckenzie's prison record and input from the Corrections Department's life sentence review panel. In a statement, he said:

"Public safety is the dominant consideration in making this decision, along with the input of the community and the victim's family, and rehabilitation efforts by the person seeking parole. Mr. Mckenzie is not ready for release at this time.

"He has taken important steps in the direction of bettering himself and becoming someone different than he was the day he entered prison. I am hopeful Mr. Mckenzie will work to gain more insight into the impact of the crime he committed and continue with the progress he has made."

Benson has been conducting a Facebook campaign directed at law enforcement members, urging them to contact corrections officials to oppose Mckenzie's parole. Schnell said he received about 100 communications from them in the form of letters, emails and phone calls, urging him to deny parole.

In explaining his decision, Schnell said he had to be convinced not only that Mckenzie could live in the community without reoffending, but also that he could "demonstrate his capacity to manage transition to the outside world."

Brian Peters, executive director of the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, hailed the decision. "Cold-blooded murderers of public safety officials should never be considered for release," he said in a statement.

Arthur Martinez, one of Mckenzie's defense lawyers in 1993, criticized law enforcement's attitude regarding his client.

"I don't like this law enforcement saying he should never get out of prison. … There's a lynch mob mentality out there," he said.

Martinez said people should instead look at Mckenzie "and say, 'It's amazing what you've accomplished in prison.' "

Prosecutors said Mckenzie was a gang member and one of two men who entered the pizza shop. Mike McGlennen, one of his two attorneys, told the Star Tribune that Mckenzie told him during the trial that he had been a lookout and had not entered the Pizza Shack.

Mckenzie and three other men were convicted for the murder.

Mckenzie is the author of five self-published books on sale through Amazon. In a statement posted three years ago on the Amazon website, he expressed remorse for his role in Haaf's death. He is close to obtaining a college bachelor's degree, Schnell said.

In 2015, the Legislature passed a law that makes first-degree murder for killing a police officer a life sentence with no possibility for release. The law does not apply to sentences handed down before 2015.

Mckenzie also must serve a 15-month sentence consecutively with his life sentence, said Nick Kimball, a spokesman for the Corrections Department. That sentence is for his 1996 conviction for possessing a weapon in prison — a padlock that he used in a fight with another prisoner. Assuming he would have to serve two-thirds of that time under state law, that would be another 10 months in prison, Kimball said.