DULUTH, Minn. — A teen who randomly assaulted a homeless man with a rock in an incident captured on video and shared on social media will have an opportunity to avoid an adult prison term.
Marshaun Lamont Ealy-Lockett, 16, of Duluth, apologized to the victim as he was sentenced Monday for the Aug. 26 attack that left Milton Myshack, 61, hospitalized with serious head injuries. The Duluth News Tribune is naming the juvenile suspect due to the seriousness of the crime.
Ealy-Lockett earlier reached a plea agreement with the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office, under which he admitted to first-degree assault and received an extended juvenile jurisdiction sentence — an outcome that combines elements of the adult and juvenile court systems.
Judge Shawn Reed imposed an 86-month prison term but ordered that it remain stayed as long as Ealy-Lockett complies with conditions of probation, which will keep him under juvenile supervision until his 21st birthday in June 2030.
“We all here, including Mr. Myshack, want you to make the changes in your life to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” Reed told the young defendant.
Court filings indicate that Myshack’s cousin found him bleeding heavily under the Lake Avenue viaduct in Canal Park around 3:15 a.m. Myshack’s girlfriend, who was also hit in the face during the encounter, told police that they were playing music and singing when a group of three people came up and assaulted them.
Video later provided to Duluth police investigators reportedly showed Ealy-Lockett approaching Myshack, who appeared to be sleeping, and kicking the victim once before punching him multiple times.
The video went on to show the teen picking up a large rock and throwing it toward Myshack’s head — seemingly knocking him unconscious instantly, as he was unable to brace his fall, and causing him to strike his head on the pavement, according to the court filings.
Documents indicate Ealy-Lockett was on intensive supervised probation at the time of the incident. While his prior cases are not public, filings reflect that he was previously arrested and charged with robbery for assaulting another homeless man near the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center in June 2024.
Myshack attended Monday’s disposition hearing, declining to speak but submitting a brief statement in writing. He said Ealy-Lockett had followed him for five or six blocks before the attack, which left him with a traumatic brain injury.
“I don’t trust kids anymore,” the victim wrote. “I don’t like people behind me. I’ll never forget it.”
His brother, Philip Myshack, previously told the News Tribune that the injuries required emergency surgery. He said Milton had been homeless for much of the past 20 years and that the injuries were likely life-altering, requiring care for the remainder of his life.
Ealy-Lockett, joined by his mother and other family members, said he was “very sorry for what I did.”
“I will try —,” he said, stopping himself to provide a more confident assurance to the court: “I will do everything I can to make sure nothing like this ever happens again. I will work on my anger.”
Reed ordered the teen to complete Arrowhead Regional Corrections’ Kenwood treatment program, which lasts six to nine months. Once released, he’ll be subject to 90 days of intensive supervision.
Ealy-Lockett also must complete 40 hours with the juvenile work crew, complete treatment recommendations and remain in school or employed, among a host of other conditions agreed to by Assistant St. Louis County Attorney Korey Horn and public defender Tessa Jacobson.
The judge said he was pleased to see that Ealy-Lockett has been excelling in school while incarcerated at the Arrowhead Juvenile Center, and he was “grateful” that the teen was able to hear the victim’s own words about the impact of the crime.
“The court is hopeful that it won’t see you back here,” Reed said.
“You won’t,” Ealy-Lockett replied.
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