In 2017, Mohamed Noor was convicted of third degree murder and manslaughter for the fatal shooting of JustineRuszczykDamond, a 40 year-old U.S.-Australian citizen who was also a yoga teacher and was engaged to marry. The Minnesota Supreme Court overturned Noor’s murder conviction last month. It ruled that the third-degree murder statute did not apply because it only applies when a defendant displays a “generalized lack of regard for human life” and not when it is directed at a specific person like with Damond.
Judge Kathryn Quaintance presided over Noor’s trial. granted the request of prosecutors to impose Noor’s maximum sentence under state guidelines, which is 57 months. She ignored the defense’s request to impose a sentence of 41 months. This is the lowest end of the range. Noor may be released on supervised release if he behaves well. His expected release date was June 27, according to the state prison website.
“Mr. Quaintance stated, “Mr. “But, I don’t know any authority that would allow me to reduce your sentence.” Quaintance cited Noor for “shooting across your nose of your partner” as well as putting others at risk the night of the shooting. She was determined to give the harshest sentence possible.
Quaintance noted that neither side wanted to depart from sentencing guidelines and she couldn’t.
Noor was fired shortly after being charged and has served over 29 months. Minnesota has two-thirds of its prison sentences for inmates who behave well. The remainder are supervised releases.
Noor stated that he and his partner were slowing down in an alley when they heard a loud bang from their police SUV. He was afraid for their lives. Noor claimed that he saw a woman standing at his partner’s driver side window, raising her right arm and then firing a shot from the passenger’s seat to stop what he believed was a threat.
He was sentenced to 12 1/2 years for the murder charge and had spent most of his time in an out-of state facility.