Grand Forks Man Sentenced to 27.5 Years in Prison for Murdering Two Boys

EAST GRAND FORKS, MN (trfnews.i234.me) Valentin Mendoza of Grand Forks has been sentenced to 27.5 years in prison for killing 2 boys in an intentional car wreck in June of 2021.
Valentin Mendoza has been sentenced to 27 and a half years in prison for taking the lives of two young men in East Grand Forks in June of last year Mendoza drove a pickup head-on into another vehicle in East Grand Forks killing Ethan Carson and Damien Powell under a plea deal Mendoza pled guilty to two counts of third degree murder four other charges in the case were dropped here’s more background on this story from our earlier reporting charges against 20-year-old Valentin Mendoza of Grand Forks have now been upgraded to include murder from earlier charges of criminal vehicular homicide he’s accused of driving his Ford Ranger pickup on the left here head on into a GMC Envoy on Highway 220 as shown on the right on the north side of East Grand Forks on June 17th of 2021. the driver of the envoy and passenger 17 year old Ethan Carson and sixteen-year-old Damian Powell both wound up dying from their injuries Mendoza is now facing two counts of second-degree murder intentional each of those charges carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison he’s also charged with a two counts of third degree murder depraved mind and act eminently dangerous to others and evidenced a depraved mind without regard for human life each of those charges carries a 25-year maximum sentence plus he still faces the original charges of two counts of criminal vehicular homicide each of those charges carries a maximum sentence of 10 years a jury could find him guilty on all or some or none of the charges now according to the criminal complaint a Minnesota Trooper applied for and was issued a search warrant of Mendoza’s cellular phone after the crash and a Minnesota BCA agent was Abe able to retrieve data from the cell phone it included video data June 17 2021 at 305 PM that was just three minutes before the crash which showed Valentin Mendoza IV driving the pickup truck Northbound on Highway 220 and during the course of this video Valentin Mendoza stated quote it’s time for me to go don’t blame yourself when I’m gone but I just wanted you to know I love you I can’t do this no more so I gotta go unquote based upon the content and timing of this message the trooper believed that Valentin Mendoza was leaving a video suicide note again Valentin Mendoza now sentenced to 27 and a half years in prison with credit for just over a year already served I’m Neil Berg reporting for itrfnews.i234.me