HCAO petitions judge to adjust sentence of Jerome Nunn, first time new law used

In its first use of the new law passed in 2023 allowing prosecutor-initiated sentence review, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office today asked the court to adjust the sentence of Jerome Nunn, a man previously sentenced to life in prison. Mr. Nunn has demonstrated the power of transformation. The mother of the deceased victim supports the request and for the past 10 years, has been advocating for Mr. Nunn’s release.

See the full press conference here.

Mr. Nunn entered prison nearly 30 years ago for his role in the tragic murder of Abduel Poe. Mr. Nunn faced a sentence of life with a chance of parole on that murder conviction, plus 180 months for the attempted murder of John Holmes. At the time, Nunn had a fifth-grade education and had been his own caretaker since age 13. He was 19 when he entered prison.

Once in prison, Mr. Nunn transformed himself. He earned his GED and three associate degrees plus a paralegal certificate. He became a minister and continues his ministry inside and outside the prison walls. The Department of Corrections granted Mr. Nunn work release in 2023, and he now works at EMERGE Community Development, helping other people with criminal records find meaningful jobs and services as they re-enter their communities.

In recognition of Jerome Nunn’s rehabilitation, today the HCAO asked a judge to shorten Mr. Nunn’s sentence to time served.

PISA Petition

State's Memo in Support of PISA Petition

This is the first petition filed in Hennepin County, and the HCAO believes in the entire state, under the 2023 Minnesota Prosecutor-Initiated Sentencing Adjustment law (PISA). The law allows prosecutors to request sentence adjustments where the interests of justice and public safety are no longer served by incarceration. A judge will ultimately decide whether to grant the State’s request and shorten Mr. Nunn’s life sentence.

“Circumstances can change over time, and so can people. When an individual like Jerome Nunn has done such hard work to rehabilitate himself and has proven he won’t endanger public safety, this law gives us a tool to help consider sentences like his in a fair and transparent way,” said Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty. “It is always the responsibility of a prosecutor to seek justice.”

“Jerome is one of the most extraordinary human beings I have ever met,” said David A. Singleton, Mr. Nunn’s attorney. "He transformed himself during his nearly three decades in prison and is now a model citizen who is working to repair the harm he caused the community 30 years ago.”

PISA requires judges to consider victims’ input about the harm suffered and the impact of a sentence reduction. In this case, Mr. Poe’s mother, Danielle Jones, has forgiven Mr. Nunn and has long supported his full return to society. In 2014, she wrote to the Board of Pardons: “I am pleading with you for Jerome’s sentence to be changed to time served and for him to be granted an immediate release and come out of prison as soon as possible.” She reaffirmed that statement in 2021, and again today.

“Jerome Nunn provides us all with a great example of restorative redemption,” said EMERGE President and CEO Mike Wynne. “He graduated from being in our program to becoming a staff member in just six months, and he is dedicated to making amends and creating a balance in our community. He already has helped dozens of formerly incarcerated adults connect to resources and opportunities. I cannot think of a better person, on a better track, to do right by this opportunity to have his sentence adjusted to completion.”

ABOUT PROSECUTOR-INITIATED SENTENCE ADJUSTMENT

In February of 2024, the HCAO was the first prosecutor’s office in the state to create and start accepting applications for PISA. Since that time, the HCAO has reviewed more than 250 applications and worked with the Department of Corrections to set up processes to make applications available to incarcerated individuals and streamline requests for prison records — a key part of the PISA review.

The HCAO is working with lawyers and law students at the University of St. Thomas School of Law to review and process PISA applications. The law school’s PISA team has become a vital partner to the HCAO in this work and includes Professor Julie Jonas, attorneys Monique Salvetti and Piper Wold, and coordinator Taylor Praus-Singh.

Learn more or apply for PISA review here: Prosecutor-Initiated Sentence Adjustment | Hennepin County (hennepinattorney.org)

Speakers:

Laura Nirider – attorney for Ms. Jones, victim’s mother

David Singleton, Jerome Nunn’s defense attorney

Jerome Nunn

Mike Wynne, Emerge, CEO

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