Minneapolis man, 25, gets life in prison for killing his friend
A 25-year-old Minneapolis man will spend the rest of his life in prison for killing his friend, who identified him as the killer before he died.
Brent Buchan was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on March 24 in the fatal shooting of Joshua-Lee Boyce, 25, on Oct. 25, 2020, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office said Thursday.
Boyce identified his friend, Buchan, as the shooter. He told police Buchan shot him and then said "My dying breath," before being taken to the hospital, where he died the next day of multiple gunshot wounds, court documents said.
Related [Nov. 20, 2020]: Charges: Man identified his friend as his killer before dying of gunshot wounds
A jury on March 8 convicted Buchan of intentional premeditated first-degree murder and intentional second-degree murder. A first-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of release under Minnesota law.
The case
According to court documents, police responded to a home on the 1700 block of Emerson Avenue North in Minneapolis at about 11:55 p.m. on Oct. 25, 2020, where they found Boyce bleeding in a doorway.
Boyce told police Buchan shot him before he died and Boyce's dad told police Boyce had gone to go buy weed from Buchan prior to being shot, noting the two had been fighting recently because Buchan thought Boyce was involved in the killing of one of his friends. However, the father said Boyce thought things were OK between them.
Surveillance video captured the shooting, showing Boyce getting out of a car parked in the alley and walking south. Seconds later, Buchan got out of the car and followed Boyce before pulling out a gun and shooting.
The video picked up screams and Boyce saying, "I swear it wasn't me, Brenty."
Police determined Buchan was in the same gang as the friend who'd recently been killed, and witnesses and Facebook postings indicated Buchan blamed Boyce for his friend's death.
