> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Federal Murder Sentences in the District of Minnesota, FY2016–2025 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-murder-sentences-district-of-minnesota/ - Published: 2026-11-04T11:06:56.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-04T11:06:56.000Z - Description: 26 people in the District of Minnesota were sentenced for murder offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. All 26 received a prison term, with a median of 282 months (23.5 years), compared with 240 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts. 69% pleaded guilty, which is lower than the 94% - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Federal Sentences in the District of Minnesota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-minnesota/) › Murder: District of Minnesota **In brief:** 26 people in the District of Minnesota were sentenced for murder offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. All 26 received a prison term, with a median of 282 months (23.5 years), compared with 240 months for this offense type in all 94 federal districts. 69% pleaded guilty, which is lower than the 94% for all offenses in this district. Updated November 4, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025 This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 26 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. It is part of the [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/). ## Prison Terms All 26 people (100%) received a prison term, and 0 received probation only. The median was 282 months (23.5 years). A quarter received 360 months or more, and a quarter received 150 months or less. 1 person received a life sentence. The median for all offenses in the District of Minnesota was 70 months. Terms are those imposed, not time served. ## Guilty Pleas Were Less Common Than Usual 18 of 26 people (69%) pleaded guilty, and 8 were convicted after a trial. In all districts, 78% of people in this offense type pleaded guilty. The median prison term was 238 months after a guilty plea and 360 months after a trial. Every guilty plea in Minnesota (100%) had a written plea agreement. ## Types of Murder Guidelines The Commission assigns the offense type by primary guideline. In Minnesota, 16 people were sentenced under §2A1.2 (Second Degree Murder) and 6 under §2A1.1 (First Degree Murder). 3 were sentenced under §2A1.5 (Conspiracy or Solicitation to Commit Murder), and 1 under §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact). Murder cases were less than 1% of the 3,630 people sentenced in the district. ## Mandatory Minimums and the Guideline Range A mandatory minimum applied to 7 of the 26 people (27%). The records do not show how those cases were distributed across the guidelines above. 11 people (42%) were sentenced within the guideline range. 9 (35%) were below it at the government's request, 4 (15%) were below it without a request, and 2 (8%) were above it. The within-range share was 39% in all districts and 31% for all offenses in this district. ## Supervised Release, Restitution, and Criminal History All 26 people (100%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 60 months. 3 people (12%) received supervised release for life. A fine was ordered for 0, and restitution for 17 (65%). 27% were in the lowest criminal history category, and 27% in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field. ## Very Small Yearly Counts 11 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 15 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. The table has no row for 2021, because no one in this group was sentenced then. A fiscal year runs from October 1 through the end of September. Yearly counts are from 1 to 5 people. The 2025 row shows 3 people with a median of 360 months and 0 of 3 pleading guilty. With counts this small, the table does not show a trend. The data counts only people convicted and sentenced and gives no case facts. | Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty | | ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | | 2016 | 3 | 168 months | 1 of 3 | | 2017 | 4 | 360 months | 1 of 4 | | 2018 | 3 | 360 months | 3 of 3 | | 2019 | 1 | 264 months | 1 of 1 | | 2020 | 3 | 240 months | 3 of 3 | | 2022 | 3 | 144 months | 3 of 3 | | 2023 | 5 | 144 months | 5 of 5 | | 2024 | 1 | 144 months | 1 of 1 | | 2025 | 3 | 360 months | 0 of 3 | ### How We Counted Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Minnesota (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Minnesota") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Murder" (26). Offense types are the Commission's OFFGUIDE categories. Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30\. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records. ### What to Keep in Mind **No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct.** Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987\. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served. **Federal supervised release.** Most federal prison sentences are followed by a term of supervised release that the judge sets as part of the sentence. A person who violates it can be sent back to prison. A court-martial cannot sentence anyone to supervision after release. Military parole and mandatory supervised release are decided later by a board, not by the judge at trial. **Who decides the sentence, and under what rules.** Federal judges sentence every federal case. They must calculate the Sentencing Guidelines range, which is advisory, and must impose any mandatory minimum the statute requires unless an exception applies. In courts-martial, the accused could choose sentencing by members until the rules changed. For cases in which every guilty finding is for an offense committed after December 27, 2023, a military judge sentences alone, within sentencing parameters. Courts-martial tried in 2024 and later include both old-rule and new-rule cases, and the data cannot tell them apart. **Time periods.** Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually. **How life sentences and "time served" are counted.** In the federal numbers, a life sentence is counted as 470 months, and any other sentence longer than 470 months is counted as just under 470 months. A sentence of "time served" is counted as one day (0.03 months). Averages are affected by these rules; medians much less. **Mandatory minimum sentences.** Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge. ## Related Analysis - [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article) - [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts) - [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method) - [Federal Sentences in the District of Minnesota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-minnesota/) (overview) - [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Minnesota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-district-of-minnesota/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of Minnesota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-district-of-minnesota/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Minnesota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-fraud-theft-embezzlement-sentences-district-of-minnesota/) (same district, other offense type) - [Federal Robbery Sentences in the District of Minnesota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-robbery-sentences-district-of-minnesota/) (same district, other offense type) - [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source) - [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source) **About the author.** Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts *Where All The Bodies Are Buried* and runs the [Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.