$20 Debt Leads to 35 1/2 Year Prison Sentence For Minnesota Man

Minneapolis, MN (KROC-AM News) - The end result of a fight over a $20 debt will keep a 39-year-old Minneapolis man in prison until is well into his 60s.

Kenneth Joel McKinnis was sentenced Thursday for a fatal shooting that occurred in a Minneapolis homeless encampment last September. The criminal complaint stemming from the deadly incident says witnesses told police the shooting followed a fight between McKinnis and the victim that broke out when McKinnis confronted Curtis Johnson about the unpaid debt.

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According to the criminal complaint, McKinnis returned to the homeless encampment the day after the fight, entered the victim's tent, and shot him in the chest. The court document says Johnson was transported to a nearby hospital, where he later died from the gunshot wound.

The charges say another man had given McKinnis a ride to the homeless encampment and stayed in his pickup truck listening to loud music while McKinnis walked away toward some tents. The criminal complaint says the pickup driver told police he did not hear the gunshot, but saw McKinnis run back to his vehicle and directed him to leave immediately.

The charges also include witness statements from people living in the homeless encampment. Several described the fight over the $20 debt, and one witness saw McKinnis running away after hearing the gunshot.

A Hennepin County Jury convicted McKinnis of second-degree murder following a trial last month. Is now been sentenced to 35 1/2 years in prison. With credit for good behavior, he could be eligible for release after serving just under 24 years.

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