Earl Bennett sentenced to 86 years for 2024 triple homicide at Minneapolis homeless encampment

Sentence follows jury verdict in Oct. 27, 2024 encampment shooting

A Hennepin County judge has sentenced Earl Bennett to 1,038 months in prison—more than 86 years—after a jury found him guilty of three counts of second-degree intentional murder for a fatal shooting at a Minneapolis homeless encampment in 2024.

The case centered on gunfire inside a small encampment along the 4400 block of Snelling Avenue, in an area near railroad tracks between Hiawatha Avenue and Snelling Avenue, on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. Three people were killed: Christopher Martell Washington, Louis Mitchell Lemons Jr., and Samantha Jo Moss.

What investigators said happened at the encampment

Investigators alleged that Bennett arrived at the encampment and fired multiple shots inside a tent. Two victims died that day. The third victim, Moss, was transported to a hospital and later died, six days after the shooting.

Prosecutors pursued second-degree intentional murder charges, and the case went to a jury trial. In late 2025, a Hennepin County jury returned guilty verdicts on all three murder counts. Bennett was also convicted of illegally possessing a firearm.

Arrest and St. Paul police shooting the following day

Authorities said Bennett fled after the encampment shooting. The next day—Oct. 28, 2024—police in St. Paul responded to reports of shots fired near the 400 block of Pierce Street. Officers encountered Bennett while he was armed and walking in the area. Police attempted to negotiate his surrender.

During the encounter, officers used less-lethal rounds. Police said Bennett ultimately pointed a gun at officers, and police shot him. A 9mm handgun was recovered at the scene, and investigators linked the firearm to shell casings recovered from the Minneapolis encampment shooting.

Why the prison term is unusually long

At sentencing, the court imposed consecutive terms—stacking prison time across the three murder convictions—resulting in the 1,038-month total. A state sentencing filing had urged consecutive sentences based on the number of victims and the scope of harm caused.

Key facts in the case

• Location: homeless encampment on the 4400 block of Snelling Avenue in Minneapolis
• Date of shooting: Oct. 27, 2024
• Victims: Christopher Martell Washington, Louis Mitchell Lemons Jr., Samantha Jo Moss
• Convictions: three counts of second-degree intentional murder; illegal firearm possession
• Sentence: 1,038 months (more than 86 years), imposed consecutively

The sentence concludes a prosecution that spanned from the October 2024 shootings through a jury verdict in 2025 and final sentencing in February 2026.