A jury on Monday convicted a man of second-degree intentional murder for fatally shooting a local chef after a funeral reception for an 80-year-old woman in St. Paul in 2023. He was acquitted of killing his cousin, who was hit by ensuing gunfire.

Jurors also acquitted John Lee Edmondson, 54, of first-degree premeditated murder and first-degree intentional murder while committing a felony in connection with the death of chef Larry Jiles Jr., 34, outside a Frogtown senior-living apartment building on Feb. 23, 2023.

Edmondson was found not guilty of two second-degree murder charges in the killing of his cousin, Troy Kennedy, 37.

John Lee Edmondson (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)

Three others were wounded in the gun battle, which followed an argument outside the senior complex at University Avenue and Dale Street. Police recovered 39 shell casings that were fired from five guns. Edmondson fired 10 shots.

Jurors deliberated for about nine hours over two days following nine days of witness testimony before Ramsey County District Judge Leonardo Castro.

Edmondson, of St. Louis Park, had claimed defense of others in Jiles’ killing and self-defense in the death of Kennedy, who was hit while running amid the gunfire.

Edmondson’s attorney, Ryan Pacyga, said he is “grateful” his client was acquitted of first-degree murder, which would have sent him to prison for life.

“Obviously, mission No. 1 is to beat first-degree, and I always felt like this was not premeditated,” Pacyga said. “It’s a victory, but it’s tough because there is one big family with two sides that are just hurting. And I hope they can all find a way to come together again.”

A dozen Ramsey County deputies were in the courtroom for the verdict as a deterrence to what broke out last week during the trial. After the prosecution delivered its closing arguments, several family members from both sides argued outside the courtroom before deputies broke it up.

Edmondson is scheduled to be sentenced June 11. Edmondson, who was convicted of aiding and abetting unintentional murder in 1994 at age 22, faces between about 23 and 32½ years in prison, based on Minnesota sentencing guidelines.

‘Almost a war zone’

Officers were sent to the shooting behind Frogtown Square Apartments about 5:15 p.m. Jiles was shot twice in the neck. An autopsy showed Kennedy had two “distant gunshot wounds” from a bullet or bullets that exited his body.

Witnesses told police that families had gathered in a community room at the senior complex for the death of Edna Scott. Jiles and Kennedy were relatives of the woman, and Jiles made most of the food for the gathering.

It was peaceful until it ended, witnesses said, when an argument broke out in the community room and spilled outside.

Video footage from the nearby Neighborhood Development Center showed it was six seconds from the time Edmondson got out of his car to the time people began running, Assistant Ramsey County Attorney Hassan Tahir said Thursday in the state’s closing argument.

Tahir said the initial confrontation happened so quickly that Edmondson “could have made no actual determination of what was even going on before he fired those shots.”

Tahir added that “it became almost a war zone after that.”

Edmondson had testified at trial that he was driving his mother and niece in the parking lot when his mother spotted Jiles with a gun standing by a group.

Edmondson “made a beeline” to Jiles and tried to push down the gun as Jiles was raising it, Pacyga said in the defense’s closing argument Friday. Edmondson fired twice, hitting Jiles at close range.

Police tape and evidence markers at the scene of a double homicide in the parking lot of Frogtown Square at University Avenue and Dale Street in St. Paul on Feb. 25, 2023. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Pacyga, in making the claim of defense of others, told jurors, “When Larry is raising the gun, it’s completely reasonable to believe that in that fraction of a second other people are exposed to death or great bodily harm.”

The charges say a witness told police that Jiles was not carrying a gun when he was shot and it did not appear that he provoked an altercation. Pacyga pointed out to jurors that 11 months later, Jiles’ sister, Chanel Jiles, told police in a follow-up interview that he did have a gun on him. It was never recovered.

Pacyga said Edmondson acted in self-defense in Kennedy’s killing because of the ensuing gun battle. He said police recovered seven casings in an area where someone shot toward Edmondson and in the line of fire where Kennedy was running.

Mother seeking justice

Dennis Gerhardstein, Ramsey County Attorney’s Office spokesman, said two other cases were filed in connection with the gun battle, though one — against a teen — was later dismissed due to lack of evidence. A third case against a teen still under review.

DeMod Timothy McGruder, 21, of St. Paul, was charged with possession of a firearm by an ineligible person and sentenced to five years in prison in October.

Shirley Curry, Kennedy’s mother and Erlandson’s cousin, said after Monday’s verdict she is still looking for justice in his killing.

“I feel like someone should be charged,” she said, “because if John didn’t do it, who did it?”

Edmondson’s prior murder conviction stemmed from the 1993 killing of 19-year-old Dural Woods during an attempted robbery in St. Paul. Edmondson drove three men to Selby Avenue and Milton Street for a drug deal and one of them shot Woods, according to a newspaper report from the time.

Edmondson was convicted by a jury and sentenced to 18 years in prison, which was one-and-a-half times the state sentencing guidelines.

Edmondson stayed out of trouble after his release from prison and prior to Jiles’ killing. His criminal history shows petty traffic offenses during that time.

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The list of basketball accolades Paige Bueckers has piled up from her time at Hopkins High School to the present feels almost endless.

But Monday night, the standout Connecticut guard added one more – top pick in the WNBA draft.

As expected, the Dallas Wings selected Bueckers No. 1 overall to start Monday’s draft — just eight days after she led the Huskies to this season’s NCAA title with an 82-59 win over South Carolina on April 6.

“It feels super surreal,” Bueckers said at a press conference afterward. “I’m just so grateful to be here. I don’t want to take this for granted. I’ve been focusing a lot on being present and being wherever my feet are.

“To be at this stage, to be here, to have a lot of my supporters here, people who have helped me get here … it just means everything to me.”

Bueckers was a three-time Gatorade Minnesota player of the year and won the national player of the year honor as a senior in 2019-20 when she led Hopkins to a 30-0 record and was preparing to play in the Class 4A state title game before it was cancelled because of the onset of COVID-19. The year before, the Royals finished 32-0 and won the state title.

She went on to score 2,439 points in her career at UConn and averaged 19.8 points per game. Bueckers joins a Wings squad that finished 9-31 a year ago and have a new head coach in Chris Koclanes and a new general manager in Curt Miller.

“I’m just extremely excited to be there,” she said. “I’ve only heard great things about the city. I’m so excited to start this new chapter and give everything I have to the Wings organization. I know we’re going to do great things. It’s a fresh start, and we’re all ready to do something special.”

Although it was a foregone conclusion the Wings would be taking her with the top pick, Bueckers said the moment was still overwhelming.

“You don’t ever want to assume anything in life,” she said. “Nothing is guaranteed. But for this moment to be here, and it to actually happen, it’s nerve-wracking. You just have a level of excitement and nervousness.

“It’s a bittersweet feeling knowing my journey at UConn is over. But I’m excited for this next one to begin.”

By FABIANO MAISONNAVE

CAMACARI, Brazil (AP) — When Chinese automaker BYD Co. announced plans to build a massive factory in the hardscrabble city of Camacari, in Brazil’s northeastern Bahia state, locals saw a new beginning. After years of economic stagnation following Ford Motor Co.’s exit from the region in 2021, there was hope that the global leader in electric vehicles would bring back well-paying jobs and a brighter future.

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The timing seemed right. Brazil, the world’s sixth-largest auto market, is seeing a surge in EV sales—and BYD is leading the charge. For Camacari, the deal promised to fill the economic vacuum left by the American company, which had once been the city’s largest employer.

Then plans went off track.

A December raid led by Brazilian authorities rescued 163 Chinese nationals said to be working in “slavery-like” conditions at the site. A video from the Labor Prosecutor’s Office showed dormitories with beds lacking mattresses and makeshift cooking facilities. The company postponed plans to begin its first production line in March and has not established a new timeline, spreading fears among Camacari workers.

“When BYD announced it was coming here, it sparked a lot of hope in us,” said Luizmar Santana Pereira, a metalworker and former Ford employee, who has been working as a taxi driver. “We’ve been waiting for this job opportunity, but so far, we haven’t seen it.”

After the raid, a spokesperson based at BYD’s China headquarters denied wrongdoing, saying in a post on the Weibo social media site that the accusations were an attempt at “smearing” Chinese brands and China. The post also blamed “foreign forces” for the allegation and criticized media reports.

In a statement disseminated in Brazil, the carmaker adopted a more conciliatory tone. The company said it “does not tolerate disrespect for Brazilian law and human dignity” and rescinded the contract with Chinese construction company Jinjiang, which had brought the workers.

In Brazil, ample room for BYD to grow

EVs are spreading fast in Brazil, Latin America’s most populous nation. Sales jumped 85% in 2024, reaching over 170,000 units, including fully electric and hybrid vehicles, according to the Brazilian Association of Electric Vehicles. That accounted for about 7% of new car sales in the country.

The growth is spearheaded by BYD. Seven out of 10 EVs sold in the country are from the brand, which also leads hybrid sales. In major cities such as Sao Paulo and Brasilia, imported BYD cars and dealerships have become a common sight. In Brazil’s capital, it’s the best-selling brand, whether EV or gas-powered.

Another Chinese EV maker, GWM, also recently announced plans to open a factory in Brazil after acquiring a shuttered Mercedes-Benz facility in the industrialized state of Sao Paulo.

BYD’s inroads in Brazil are in tandem with the company’s global growth. The world’s leading EV company logged a record $107 billion in revenue in 2024 as its sales of electric and hybrid vehicles jumped 40%, surpassing American rival Tesla. This year, plans include the inauguration of its first car factory in Europe, currently under construction in Hungary.

Brazil’s policies are driving EV sales and production, according to Adalberto Maluf, national secretary of Urban Environment and Environmental Quality.

In an interview with The Associated Press in Brasilia, Maluf cited incentives enacted in 2024 that favor electric motors, tax reductions for lower-emission cars and a new air quality program with nationwide monitoring and pollution reduction goals.

Brazil is the one of the top 10 emitters of greenhouse gases, contributing around 3% of global emissions, according to nonprofit Climate Watch. However, pollution from energy does not play a big role, as about half of greenhouse gas emissions come from deforestation, mostly in the Amazon, followed by agriculture. About 85% of the country’s electricity comes from renewable sources.

For Maluf, who worked for almost nine years at BYD Brazil, the country is attractive to Chinese electric car makers for reasons ranging from the size of its market to the presence of several auto parts suppliers and the strong political relationship between the two countries.

“Brazilians have no geopolitical issues with China. If you ask, ‘Are you against China?’ most people won’t have a strong opinion about it,” he said.

“In the U.S., however, they do, because it’s part of the president’s rhetoric,” he added, referring to President Donald Trump’s frequent comments about China “ripping off” America on trade.

It’s unclear what is next for BYD factory

Since the raid, BYD has not allowed press visits inside its Camacari premises, citing concerns about trade secrets. It’s unclear if BYD is still on track to turn the former Ford site into its largest plant outside China by the end of 2026.

When AP journalists visited in March for several days, they saw only a few construction workers at the large site. And one day, while standing on the street adjoining the premises, three BYD guards, one who kept his hand on his gun, incorrectly accused the journalists of flying a drone inside factory boundaries and demanded to see identification. Minutes later, security guards on motorcycles approached, honking and ordering the journalists to stop filming workers.

BYD said its security guards acted appropriately and declined to answer other questions about its operations in Brazil.

While the future of the factory is unclear, the raid and the presence of Chinese workers have gotten the attention of labor unions.

“The Metalworkers Union will not tolerate Chinese workers on the production line. If that happens even in the beginning of the production, we will call for a work stoppage,” Júlio Bonfim, the union president, told AP. Bonfim added that there were no objections with BYD employing Chinese technicians and managers, but the factory floor must employ only Brazilians. It was unclear if BYD had agreed to that.

Despite the raid and seemingly slow pace of construction, in the Camacari region the shift from Ford to BYD is increasingly visible. A three-decades-old dealership for the American brand named Indiana, in tribute to the U.S. state, now shares space with a BYD reseller, Mandarim. A local hotel started distributing instructions specifically to Chinese guests, asking them not to hang washed clothes in common areas. And a state lawmaker introduced a bill to rename the city’s Henry Ford Avenue, where the plant is located, to BYD Avenue.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

By PATRICK WHITTLE and HOLLY RAMER

A Palestinian man who led protests against the war in Gaza as a student at Columbia University was arrested Monday at a Vermont immigration office where he expected to be interviewed about finalizing his U.S. citizenship, his attorneys said.

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Mohsen Mahdawi, a legal permanent resident who has held a green card since 2015, was detained at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Colchester by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, his lawyers said.

The attorneys said they do not know where he is. They filed a petition in federal court seeking an order barring the government from removing him from the state or country.

“The Trump administration detained Mohsen Mahdawi in direct retaliation for his advocacy on behalf of Palestinians and because of his identity as a Palestinian. His detention is an attempt to silence those who speak out against the atrocities in Gaza. It is also unconstitutional,” attorney Luna Droubi said in an email.

According to the court filing, Mahdawi was born in a refugee camp in the West Bank and moved to the United States in 2014. He recently completed coursework at Columbia and was expected to graduate in May before beginning a master’s degree program there in the fall.

The petition describes him as a committed Buddhist who believes in “non-violence and empathy as a central tenet of his religion.”

As a student, Mahdawi was an outspoken critic of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and organized campus protests until March 2024. He co-founded the Palestinian Student Union at Columbia with Mahmoud Khalil, another Palestinian permanent resident of the U.S. and graduate student who recently was detained by ICE.

Khalil was the first person arrested under President Donald Trump’s promised crackdown on students who joined campus protests against the war in Gaza. On Friday, an immigration judge in Louisiana ruled that Khalil can be deported as a national security risk.

Christopher Helali, a friend of Mahdawi who lives near him in Vermont, was present outside the immigration office when Mahdawi was detained and recorded a video of Mahdawi being led away by authorities. In the video, which Helali released on social media Monday, Mahdawi is shown giving a peace sign with his hands and being led away to a car.

Helali described Mahdawi as a peaceful demonstrator who has worked to foster dialogue about the struggle of Palestinians in his homeland. Helali said he and Mahdawi were aware that Mahdawi could be detained today and that his friend went forward with the appointment anyway.

“And rightfully so, he was nervous for what was going on around him. But he was very much resolute in coming to this interview and coming today because he didn’t do anything wrong and was a law-abiding citizen, or soon-to-be citizen,” Helali said.

Vermont’s congressional delegation issued a statement condemning Mahdawi’s arrest, saying that instead of taking one of the final steps in his citizenship process, he was handcuffed by armed officers with their faces covered.

“This is immoral, inhumane, and illegal. Mr. Mahdawi, a legal resident of the United States, must be afforded due process under the law and immediately released from detention,” said the statement from Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Peter Welch and Rep. Becca Balint.