Burdunice sentenced to 40 years in drug murder

Hennepin County District Court Judge Regina Chu sentenced Lannon Burdunice, 27, to 40 years in prison for murdering 31-year-old Joshua Hofmann during a drug deal, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Tuesday.

On March 9, a Hennepin County District jury found Burdunice guilty in the fatal shooting of Hofmann on July 19, 2016. Judge Chu’s sentence of 480 months was at the top of sentencing guidelines.

In court this afternoon, Hofmann’s mother Juanita gave an impact statement in which she said, “When Lannon made a conscious decision to pull out a gun and shoot and kill my son, he killed a part of all of us that day as well… He [Lannon] has no regard for the life of others. No amount of time or consequence will bring my son back. However, the longer Lannon serves, the less time he will have to do this to someone else.”

In a statement read on behalf of Hofmann’s girlfriend, she said, “Lannon, not only did you take away my first love, you’ve taken away my safety and sense of security. Because of you, I live in a world that I believe is out to harm me.”

On the date of the murder, Hofmann and his girlfriend had driven to Brooklyn Center to buy marijuana from Burdunice who shot Hofmann twice, killing him.