Hennepin County Attorney’s Office secures plea deal including an eight-year public safety process for Cyrell Boyd

Today the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office secured a plea deal that requires an eight-year public safety process with significant stayed prison time for Cyrell Boyd, 18, a lesser-involved co-defendant in the Nudieland shooting in August 2023.

The execution of the agreement requires Mr. Boyd to testify against Dominic James Burris, the major perpetrator of the Nudieland shooting.

“The plea deal that we have agreed to with Mr. Boyd is critical to us pursuing an intentional murder case against Dominic Burris, who was the instigator and main perpetrator of the terrible events that occurred at Nudieland,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. “According to our investigation, Mr. Burris repeatedly and intentionally fired his gun into the gathering. Mr. Boyd provided critical evidence that allowed us to develop an ironclad case against Mr. Burris. This led us to change our plea offer for Mr. Burris which includes an increased period of incarceration and will require him to admit to intentional 2nd degree murder, reflecting his primary role in this horrific incident.”

In exchange for Mr. Boyd’s cooperation, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office agreed to a combined EJJ and adult certification plea deal, spanning the next eight years. It will include incarceration in the state juvenile correctional facility at Red Wing, intensive therapeutic treatment to address his significant trauma history, an 86-month stayed prison sentence and commitment to the Department of Corrections until he turns 21, and then a 110-month stayed prison sentence with probation supervision as an adult until he turns 26.

The specific terms of the agreement are as follows:

Mr. Boyd will plead guilty to felony Aiding an Offender After the Fact under Extended Juvenile Jurisdiction.
An 86-month adult prison sentence will be stayed, and Mr. Boyd will be committed to the Department of Corrections in Red Wing for the loss of life program.
At the successful conclusion of his time at Red Wing, Mr. Boyd will return to Hennepin County District Court where he will be certified as an adult and plead guilty to three additional charges: second-degree assault, aiding and abetting first-degree assault, and aiding and abetting second-degree assault.
This plea will include a 110-month adult prison sentence that will be stayed, and Mr. Boyd will continue on probation for five years.
In total, Mr. Boyd will be under state supervision until the age of 26 with a stayed adult prison sentence that may be imposed if he does not comply with the terms of his agreement or probation.

Mr. Boyd’s participation in this horrific incident demands accountability to ensure public safety and this process delivers it. However, he played a significantly lesser role and is instrumental in the prosecution of Dominic Burris, who will face penalties reflecting the more serious role he played in the death of August Golden and the injuries to many others.

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