A Minnesota prosecutor known by critics as “Bloody Mary” after a series of defendants were released is now supporting an early sentence reduction for a convicted killer who officials say has transformed his life in prison.
The Hennepin County attorney’s office, led by Mary Moriarty, 62, says the life sentence imposed on Kemen Taylor II, now 40, for his involvement in the 2011 killing of a 13-year-old boy “represents a miscarriage of justice.”
Andrew Markquart, who heads Moriarty’s Conviction Integrity Unit, filed a prosecutor-initiated sentence adjustment, known as a PISA, on Taylor’s behalf earlier this year, the Star Tribune reported.
Prosecutors contend Taylor would have received a significantly lighter punishment if he had accepted the plea agreement offered to him instead of taking the case to trial.
Taylor was convicted in 2014 on nine felony counts, including aiding and abetting first-degree premeditated murder and attempted murder. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison.
In seeking a reduction, Markquart described Taylor as a “middle-aged man past the stage of life in which individuals are most likely to commit violent crimes.” The filing also noted that Taylor is planning to marry, according to the newspaper.
Taylor was 25 when he drove two teenagers, Derrick Catchings and Donquarius Copeland, in search of rival gang members after Taylor’s brother had been shot in the arm.
The Star Tribune reported that Taylor knew his passengers intended to shoot someone and encouraged them to carry out the attack.
The Hennepin County attorney’s office, led by Mary Moriarty, 62, says the life sentence given to Kemen Taylor II, now 40, for his role in the 2011 killing of a 13-year-old boy “represents a miscarriage of justice.”
Taylor was convicted in 2014 on nine felony charges, including aiding and abetting first-degree premeditated murder and attempted murder, and received a life sentence.
Ray’Jon Gomez, 13, was killed in 2011 by Derrick Catchings, then 15, and Donquarius Copeland, then 16. Taylor, who was 25, served as the alleged getaway driver.
The men encountered a group of boys riding bicycles. Catchings and Copeland got out of the van and opened fire, striking Ray’Jon Gomez in the heart and a 12-year-old boy in the shoulder, according to the Star Tribune.
Taylor did not fire a weapon and acted as the group’s driver during the shooting.
Catchings and Copeland, who were 15 and 16 at the time, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Each received a 34-year prison sentence.
If Judge Shereen Askalani approves the proposed sentence adjustment, Taylor’s life term would be reduced to 26 years. He could then be released on probation in 2030, the newspaper reported.
Kevin Funchie, Gomez’s father, described the request for Taylor’s early release as “sickening,” according to the outlet.
“I was really against it because [Taylor] went to trial and lost,” Funchie said. “Now they’re saying it was inhumane how much time he got and this and that, and they’re going to try to rehabilitate him and reduce his sentence.”
Funchie said the county attorney’s office informed him about the proposed reduction, and he attended hearings where prosecutors presented their arguments.
“It was all one-sided, there were no laws for the victims,” he said. “It was all for the ones who were committing the crimes.”
Hennepin County Attorney Andrew Markquart said Taylor should be held accountable for the “tragic loss of life,” but argued that his punishment was excessive because he played a secondary role in the boy’s killing.
Kevin Funchie, Gomez’s father, said the appeal for Taylor’s early release is ‘sickening’
He added that the appeal process has been difficult for him, bringing up the past trauma from when he first lost his son.
‘It was just me and him,’ Funchie told the outlet. ‘It’s really depressing just going through the thing all over again. I just thought that was so cold blooded how they did that. Got him riding a bike.
‘You kill somebody like that, especially a child, you would think a sentence would be much stricter, harsher.’
However, Moriarty’s office said that, in making the decision to file a petition, they ‘take victim input’ and the ‘impact any adjustment would have on victims and their families extremely seriously.’
‘[We] have established a process to ensure our communication with them begins before it is statutorily required,’ she told the Tribune.
Markquart argued that, while Taylor should be prosecuted for the ‘tragic loss of life,’ he was unfairly punished considering his secondary role in the boy’s death, the outlet reported.
‘At the time this case was prosecuted, the prevailing practice and expectation was that HCAO prosecutors were generally expected to charge the most serious offense that they believed they could prove beyond a reasonable doubt,’ Markquart said, court filings seen by the Tribune showed.
‘HCAO practice has since changed such that prosecutors are afforded more flexibility in charging decision and are encouraged to charge cases with a focus on what tools are best suited for addressing the problem that needs to be solved.’
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Moriarty’s office said that, in making the decision to file a petition, they ‘take victim input’ and the ‘impact any adjustment would have on victims and their families extremely seriously’
The attorney’s office claimed that there hadn’t been enough evidence to determine that Taylor made a premeditated decision, which contributed to his first-degree murder sentencing.
Markquart also argued that Taylor’s role in the crime was undeniable, but Catchings and Copeland were likely to act violently in a similar manner whether Taylor had been involved or not.
The attorney said that Taylor’s role is ‘worthy of both moral and legal condemnation,’ but ‘the question is whether that should translate into a conviction for first degree murder,’ the Tribune reported.
He also argued that ‘most’ of the jailhouse informants used as witnesses in his trial ‘have incentives to incriminate Mr Taylor, and they contradicted each other on numerous factual points.’
‘The question of how big of a trial penalty is too big presents a devilishly tricky line-drawing problem,’ Markquart wrote.
‘But if such a line exists, it seems that Mr. Taylor’s case must lie on the far side of that line.’
Since his sentencing, Taylor has earned his GED and taken courses on personal finance, public speaking, world religions and drawing, CBS News reported.
Moriarty’s office argued that, despite the fact his prison record has not been clean, ‘nothing in that record suggests he would present a serious risk to the public upon release.’
Moriarty is pictured with her partner Jen Westmoreland, who frequently appears on Moriarty’s campaigning pages, and who Moriarty once publicly backed for a school board election
The attorney’s office argued, while Taylor’s role is ‘worthy of both moral and legal condemnation’, ‘the question is whether that should translate into a conviction for first degree murder’
Funchie told the Tribune: ‘I didn’t know once you went to trial and lost, you could still be released early. I just wish they would stick with what they said they were going to do.’
Moriarty has become infamous among locals in Minnesota, earning the nickname ‘Bloody Mary’ following numerous reports of accused criminals walking free or having their sentences reduced.
One case in 2025 saw Abdimahat Bille Mohamed, who was charged with ‘multiple kidnappings and rapes, including against minors,’ charged once again after he was set free by plea deals.
A user on X wrote: ‘Bloody Mary let serial kidnapping gang rapist Abdimahat Bille Mohamed free twice with plea deals that involved no jail time. The 3rd time the DOJ took over because they didn’t trust her to actually give the guy jail time.’
In response to the additional charges from the Justice Department, Moriarty said their news release was a ‘clear attempt to politicize a sexual assault prosecution to inflict further harm on our entire Somali community.’
‘The current federal administration is more adept at pardons for violent insurrectionists and drug traffickers than prosecutions,’ Moriarty added.
‘If they intend to start caring about public safety and victims, we recommend they end their coverup of pedophiles and those who protect them.’
It was revealed that Moriarty funded her own personal private security using over $500,000 in taxpayer funds, social media was quick to criticize the prosecutor.
Moriarty has become infamous among locals in Minnesota, earning the nickname ‘Bloody Mary’ following numerous reports of accused criminals walking free or having their sentences reduced
The county paid private firm Relative Intel $10,950 in 2023, $103,825 in 2024 and $183,875 in 2025 to protect Moriarty, records showed.
Moriarty was elected as county attorney in 2022 and took office in January 2023.
Attorney Chris Madel, who has routinely clashed with the Democrat, has branded Moriarty a hypocrite over the alleged security spending.
‘Mary Moriarty spends her time telling Minneapolis residents not to worry about crime while spending $513,000 to make sure she doesn’t have to worry about it herself,’ Madel, a Republican who quit the GOP in January, told the outlet.
‘That’s not leadership. That’s hypocrisy with a security detail.’
He shared how other county officials have received ‘genuine death threats’ but are not afforded taxpayer funded security detail.
He added that it appears ‘crime is only a crisis’ when Moriarty has to ‘face it.’
Moriarty’s term as county attorney, which has been met with massive criticism over her handling of crime, ends on January 4, 2027.
The Daily Mail reached out to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office for comment.