MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court has reversed the third-degree murder conviction of a former Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed an Australian woman in 2017.
Mohamed Noor was convicted of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Justine Ruszczyk.
But he appealed the murder conviction, saying the charge was meant for cases in which a defendant's actions are directed at more than one person.
The court's ruling Wednesday could give Derek Chauvin grounds to appeal his third-degree murder conviction in George Floyd's death, but that would have a little tangible impact since Chauvin was also convicted of the more serious count of second-degree murder.
According to the Associated Press, with his murder conviction overturned, his case will now go back to the district court where he was face sentencing for manslaughter.
Noor has already served 28 months and if he's sentenced in the manslaughter case, he could possibly be eligible for supervised release by the end of this year, the AP reported.
Ruszczyk had called 911 to report a possible assault in progress in an alley behind her Minneapolis home.
During his testimony, Noor said he feared for his partner's life as Ruszczyk approached their squad car in the dark, empty alley before shooting her in the abdomen.
Ruszczyk died a month before her wedding after just relocating to Minnesota from Australia.