A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to a nearly 29-year term for being the getaway driver in a robbery and fatal shooting, then stopping at a nearby McDonald's soon afterward with his two accomplices.
John A. Davis, 51, was driving before dawn on July 7, 2016, with Mashawn L. Moore and Marshawn D. Winston when they spotted James Salter, 52, of Minneapolis, and decided to rob him. Davis stopped the car, and Moore got out and shot Salter.
Davis pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Including time in jail since his arrest, he will serve roughly the first 18 years of his sentence in prison and the balance on supervised release.
In a statement read at sentencing Friday, Brenda Salter spoke of her husband of 33 years and how they had been a couple since she was 13.
"My heart hurts and the pain, I wouldn't wish on anyone," her statement read.
Moore, 20, was sentenced earlier to more than 30 years. Sentencing for Winston, 23, of St. Paul, is pending.
According to authorities:
The three men were driving around looking to rob a man who had crossed Davis and Winston. When they couldn't find him, they saw Salter near Lake Street and 5th Avenue S. and decided to rob him instead. Davis pulled the car over and Moore got out with a shotgun, pointed it at Salter's chest and pulled the trigger.
Davis' lawyer asked for a reduced sentence because he didn't hatch the plot, has shown remorse and could not fully understand what he was doing that night because he was on drugs and was suffering from anxiety.
Assistant County Attorney Joshua Larson argued for a 30-year term, noting Davis' long criminal history, that he knew the shotgun was in the trunk of his car and that after Salter was shot, Davis told Moore to rummage through his pockets for valuables.
Hennepin County District Judge Gina Brandt said that what struck her as she read all of the reports is that Moore was only 18 at the time and Winston 21, while Davis had just turned 50.
Brandt noted that Davis transported the gun in his car before and after the shooting and didn't call 911 but took them all to McDonald's for something to eat after Salter was killed.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
