HENNEPIN COUNTY – TRF News – A 17-year-old Minneapolis teen has been certified to stand trial as an adult in two separate homicide cases from 2024.
Ashawn Kyrio Willis faces adult charges in the March 15, 2024, shooting of 30-year-old Aron Jabari Bell-Bey, who was killed during an armed robbery attempt outside an apartment building near 4100 Chicago Avenue.
According to court documents, Bell-Bey was in the passenger seat of his girlfriend’s car with their two young children in the backseat during a planned marijuana sale. Investigators allege that four males approached the vehicle, and Willis pressed a gun to Bell-Bey’s jaw before shooting him in the face. Surveillance video reportedly captured the shooting, and witnesses identified Willis from still images. Bell-Bey remained hospitalized for nearly two months before dying from his injuries on May 31, 2024.
Willis is also charged in the November 25, 2024, killing of Hussanee Abdul-Malik Harris, 23, outside the Full Stop gas station at 1818 Lowry Avenue North. Video shows Willis pistol-whipping Harris, then shooting him in the back as he tried to run inside the store.
Police say Willis arrived with co-defendant Martaveis Lamier Roberts, who had been in a dispute with Harris over drug sales. Roberts allegedly left the scene and returned with Willis before the shooting. He has been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
Bail for Willis is set at $1 million in one case and $1.5 million in the other. If convicted of either second-degree murder charge, he faces up to 40 years in prison. His next court appearance is scheduled for September. Prosecutors have not stated whether they will seek an aggravated sentence.
For more information on Minnesota criminal court procedures, visit the Minnesota Judicial Branch.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.
