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Crime, Law and Justice
Brandt Williams

Minnesota Supreme Court reverses first degree murder conviction in Moorhead killing 

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A man convicted of first-degree pre-meditated murder for his role in the killing of a Moorhead man will go free after the Minnesota Supreme Court reversed his conviction Wednesday.  

According to court documents, Ibrahim Isaac and Idris Abdillahi Haji-Mohamed drove together to Moorhead on Sept. 10, 2021. There, Isaac bought a car, filled it with gas and left.  

Prosecutors say Haji-Mohamed then drove the car to an apartment complex where he allegedly shot and killed Abdi Abdi. Isaac was not present during the shooting but drove back to Moorhead to retrieve Haji-Mohamed. 

Isaac was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder in 2023 and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. 

Chief Justice Natalie Hudson wrote the court’s decision to reverse the conviction.  

“We conclude that the state presented insufficient evidence because, when the circumstances proved are viewed as a whole, a rational hypothesis exists that Isaac only learned about the shooter’s plan after the murder occurred and, therefore, did not have the required knowledge or intent for aiding-and-abetting liability,” it reads in part.

Clay County Attorney Brian Melton strongly disagreed with the court’s decision. He said Isaac not only helped the suspected killer by supplying him with a car, Isaac also provided him with bullets.

“So we knew he [Isaac] was very much involved, but yet, based on the Supreme Court's review of circumstantial evidence and the way they review evidence — they made this opinion,” he said.  “I think it’s a horrific decision."

Melton said the reversal means his office can’t re-try Isaac. Haji-Mohamed is still awaiting trial.