Overview
- Relatives of Mariah Samuels and Allison Lussier gathered outside the Hennepin County Government Center to demand accountability, joined by activists pressing police to prioritize domestic violence cases.
- David Eugene Wright, an ex-boyfriend of Samuels, is charged in Hennepin County with second-degree murder and illegal gun possession in her September killing.
- Police Chief Brian O’Hara ordered a formal review of the handling of Samuels’ case, mandated department-wide retraining on domestic violence response by year’s end, and directed protocol changes requiring officers to ask victims if they feel safe and act on the answer.
- O’Hara cited depleted staffing as a factor in case triage, noting the domestic assault unit has five investigators compared with 12 in 2019, which affects when cases are assigned.
- Lussier’s family says she repeatedly sought help before her death; the medical examiner found a pre-mortem brain injury with an undetermined cause, and police say investigations into her death and the response remain open.