Freeman found not guilty of killing Loesch in 2007

By Jake Weyer

A jury in Hennepin County District Court on March 30 acquitted Jamaal Freeman, who was accused of killing and robbing Kingfield resident Mark Loesch in 2007. The decision came a year after the jury in a trial that was ultimately thrown out found him guilty of the same charges.

Judge Mark Wernick ruled in the first trial that the prosecution failed to disclose evidence that could have helped the defense, so a retrial was set. The undisclosed information — notes from police interviews with confidential informants — was paramount in achieving the new outcome, said Freeman’s defense attorney Emmett Donnelly, who worked the case with lawyer Shawn Kennon.

“It took us three years to get here, but all we ever wanted was the evidence,” Donnelly

Retrial begins for man accused of killing cyclist in 2007

UPDATED March 23, 2010, 9:35am

By Jake Weyer

It’s been two-and-a-half years since Kingfield husband and father of four Mark Loesch was found beaten to death in a south Minneapolis lawn the morning after leaving for a late-night bike ride. Nearly a year has passed since the two-week trial of Jamaal Freeman, accused of killing Loesch, was thrown out and rescheduled because of evidence the prosecution did not disclose to defense attorneys.  

As the new trial began March 22 in Hennepin County District Court, it was clear that time hadn’t made reliving the incident any easier for Loesch’s family and friends. After a full day of court proceedings that included a tearful testimony from widow Samantha Loesch, sister Molly Hanson said the exhausting ordeal seemed to get harder as it dragged on. Mark Johnston, a lifelong friend of the slain cyclist, said the trial’s long-awaited end should at least provide some closure.

Mark Loesch

Murder accomplice recounts cyclist’s death

UPDATED March 24, 2010, 9:26am

By Jake Weyer

Donald Jackson, an admitted accomplice in the September 12, 2007 killing of Kingfield resident and father of four Mark Loesch, recounted the details of that night March 23 in Hennepin County District Court.

Jackson pleaded guilty in May 2008 to aiding and abetting aggravated robbery for his role in the crime in exchange for a lighter sentence. Part of his agreement required him to testify against Jamaal Freeman, the man currently on trial for killing Loesch, 41, who left for a late night bike ride Sept. 12 and was found dead from blows to the head the next morning about two miles away from his home.

Jackson, now 25, said during questioning by Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Therese Galatowitsch that he was selling marijuana at the corner of 38th Street and

Jamaal Freeman

Freeman found not guilty of 2007 Loesch killing

UPDATED March 30, 2010, 2:23pm

By Jake Weyer

A jury today acquitted Jamaal Freeman, who was accused of killing and robbing Kingfield resident Mark Loesch in 2007. The decision came a year after the jury in a trial that was ultimately thrown out found him guilty of the same charges.

Hennepin County District Judge Mark Wernick ruled in the first trial that the prosecution failed to disclose evidence that could have helped the defense, so a retrial was set. The undisclosed information — notes from police interviews with confidential informants —was paramount in achieving the new outcome, said Freeman’s defense attorney Emmett Donnelly, who worked the case with lawyer Shawn Kennon.

“It took us three years to get here, but all we ever wanted was the evidence,” Donnelly said. “It’s something that should have happened a year ago. [Freeman] shouldn’t have been there in the first place.”

Loesch, a 41-year-old software engineer, husband and father of four, was found dead from blows to the head in a south Minneapolis lawn Sept. 13 after leaving the previous night around 10:30 p.m. for a ride on his freshly built Schwinn bicycle.

Judge grants new trial for man convicted in Loesch killing

By Jake Weyer

Jamaal Freeman, convicted in May of killing Kingfield resident Mark Loesch in September 2007, flashed a relieved smile and nodded toward his family when entering a Hennepin County courtroom Aug. 17, just hours after Judge Mark Wernick granted him a new trial.  

Defense attorneys Emmett Donnelly and Shawn Kennon filed the motion for a retrial, claiming the prosecution didn’t disclose police notes that pointed to the possible involvement of a 12-year-old boy in the crime. The lawyers also requested acquittal, which Wernick denied. But the judge explained in a 33-page order why he thought a new trial was needed.

“In this case, the prosecutor’s failure to make timely disclosure of evidence favorable to Jamaal Freeman deprived the jury of a fair

Check it out // Kings opens

By Sarah McKenzie

I’m something of a tater tot connoisseur.

Until recently I have been partial to the tots at the Spring Street Tavern in Northeast and Cuzzy’s in the North Loop neighborhood.

Now, I’d have to say the best tots I have ever tasted are served up by the folks at the new Kings Wine Bar in the Kingfield neighborhood. The potato bites are paired with a delicious bacon and Gruyere cheese dipping sauce.

The wine bar opened on Aug. 15. Sisters Molly Hanson and Samantha Loesch are the entrepreneurs behind the venue. They came up with the concept as a way to move in a positive direction after the murder of Loesch’s husband Mark in 2007.

While it’s been a major undertaking, Hanson said they feel great about how Kings has come

Photo by Robb Long

Chris Jackman (pictured) and friend Greg Alford had no restaurant experience before opening C&G’s Smoking Barbecue at 48th Street and Nicollet Avenue this spring.

Slump doesn’t scare startups

By Jake Weyer

New independent businesses take off in Southwest despite the stormy economic climate

The sun is always shining in Greg Alford’s world.

That’s why he always wears sunglasses, why he’s not overly concerned about the nation’s financial troubles and why he and friend Chris Jackman, known as C.J., can start a brand-new restaurant without any previous experience and not worry about it.

“I just know that people are going to eat,” Alford said. “If you give them good food and reasonable prices, they’re going to eat.”

His theory has proven true so far. Since opening C&G’s Smoking Barbecue June 8 at 48th Street and Nicollet Avenue, Jackman (C) and Alford (G) have had a steady

Judge grants new trial for alleged killer of Kingfield cyclist

UPDATED August 17, 2009, 1:16pm

By Elizabeth Sias

A Hennepin County District Court judge granted a new trial Monday for Jamaal Freeman, who was convicted earlier this year of second-degree murder in the September 2007 death of Kingfield resident Mark Loesch.

Judge Mark Wernick ordered the new trial because evidence regarding the alleged involvement of a 12-year-old boy in the killing was withheld until late in the first trial. The new trial will begin Feb. 16.

“The prosecutor’s failure to make timely disclosure of evidence favorable to Jamaal Freeman deprived the jury of a fair opportunity to determine whether the State proved guilt beyond a reasonable doubt,” Wernick stated in his ruling.

A jury convicted Freeman in May after a two-week trial. A second man, Donald Jackson, pleaded g

Sentencing delayed for man convicted of Loesch murder

UPDATED June 24, 2009, 3:55pm

By Jake Weyer

Sentencing of Jamaal Freeman, convicted in May of second-degree murder for the September 2007 beating death of Kingfield resident Mark Loesch, has been delayed at least a month.

Freeman was supposed to be sentenced June 22, but the date was moved after defense attorneys requested a new trial, arguing that police and prosecutors did not fully document their investigation of the murder and possible suspects were overlooked. Hennepin County District Court Judge Mark Wernick will decide July 29 whether to grant the trial.

He will also rule on the defense’s request for acquittal and downward departure, a legal term for a lighter sentence than the norm. Depending on how he rules on the defense’s requests, Wernick might sentence Freeman July 29, said the judge’s

Submitted photo

Mark Loesch with two of his children.

Closing arguments set for today in Loesch murder trial

UPDATED May 19, 2009, 4:43pm

By Jake Weyer

Closing arguments will begin today in the trial of Jamaal Freeman, accused of killing Kingfield resident and father of four Mark Loesch in September 2007 in south Minneapolis.

Hennepin County District Court Judge Mark Wernick closed the trial to the public May 19 during testimony of the defense’s last witness, who feared attacks from inmates upon his return to a federal prison out of state.

Whether to close the trial, now in its eighth day, was a subject of debate for several hours. The debate involved an attorney for the Star Tribune, who pushed for an open meeting and told the judge the paper couldn’t promise not using the witness’ name if it somehow surfaced in trial or out of court.

It did, shortly after that statement.