MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Two women released from prison this week may be the very first inmates in Minnesota to have their sentences reduced under new legislation redefining the crime of aiding and abetting felony murder.
Megan Cater and Briana Martinson were charged and ultimately pleaded guilty to aiding in the murder of Corey Elder in Bloomington nearly seven years ago. The killing was motivated by an attempt to steal drugs from the victim.
Authorities acknowledged Cater and Martinson had lesser roles in the slaying. According to court documents, the two women stormed into Elder’s apartment on April 27, 2017, in a group of four. While they went inside and ransacked the apartment, searching for drugs, the two other co-defendants violently assaulted Elder before killing him.
The women initially received matching 13.5-year prison sentences. However, the state legislature recently rewrote the laws on aiding and abetting the crime of felony murder so that only those who directly commit the murder or directly aid them can be charged with the crime. Supporters of the change have said it is significant because those convicted of felony murder can be sentenced to life behind bars. The new law can also be applied retroactively to those already in prison.
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Pictured Megan Cater (left) and Briana Martinson (right). (Credit: Minnesota Department of Corrections)
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This week, Cater and Martinson were resentenced on lesser aiding and abetting first-degree burglary crimes after Elder’s family provided a victim impact statement to the court. Cater received 69 months (5.75 years). She had already served more than six years. Martinson’s sentence was reduced to 57 months (4.75 years). She, too, had served more than six years. Both women were subsequently released from prison the very same day. They were originally scheduled to be released in the fall of 2026.
“We are grateful Megan Cater has been given this second chance by Minnesota legislators to re-enter society,” said Cater’s attorney, JaneAnne Murray, who believes the women are the very first to have their convictions reduced and resentenced through a newly established court process. “There are too many people serving lengthy sentences in Minnesota’s prisons that do not reflect their minor and less culpable roles in their offenses.”
“Ms. Martinson is grateful the Minnesota Legislature recognized that the previous felony murder law in Minnesota created too great a disconnect between liability and culpability,” added Martinson’s attorney, Bradford Colbert. “While she did not play a role in the tragic death that occurred, she understands the gravity of the loss and the trauma that night caused for so many. She feels awful for what happened, and deeply regrets her role in the events of that evening.”
