How a defendant in Minnesota went free because of Justice Department turmoil

3 days ago 1

By RYAN J. FOLEY and JIM MUSTIAN

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The federal prosecutor’s office in Minnesota has been gutted by a wave of career officials resigning or retiring over objections to Trump administration directives. Because of the turmoil, 12-time convicted felon Cory Allen McKay caught a break.

With a three-decade record of violent crime that includes strangling a pregnant woman and firing a shotgun under a person’s chin, McKay was scheduled to stand trial next month on methamphetamine trafficking charges that could have locked him up for 25 years. Instead, he walked free after the prosecutor on his case retired.

This 2024 booking photo provided by the Clay County Sheriff's Office in Moorhead, Minn., shows Cory Allen McKay, who has several felony convictions for violent offenses. (Clay County Sheriff's Office via AP)