A 16-year-old Duluth boy told a judge on Thursday that he took part in the May 20 beating that left a University of Minnesota Duluth student unconscious on the Lakewalk.
Markus Lee St. Clair admitted to a charge of first-degree assault that was brought against him in a juvenile delinquency petition. In exchange for that admission, a charge of first-degree aggravated robbery was dismissed by the St. Louis County Attorney's Office.
St. Clair is one of four juveniles to be charged with beating Dash Johnson, and the first to admit to his role. The juveniles are accused of stealing Johnson's wallet and cell phone. Johnson, an Arden Hills, Minn., native, had just finished his junior year at UMD, where he was majoring in communications. He had been working as a host at Little Angie's in Canal Park and as a student intern with Visit Duluth.
Under questioning by Assistant St. Louis County Attorney Angie Shambour, St. Clair told Judge Heather Sweetland that he knocked Johnson unconscious with one punch to the head. He said the confrontation started when co-defendant Julie Ann Isham, 17 at the time of the incident but now 18, asked Johnson for a cigarette. St. Clair said he asked Johnson for a lighter. He said that the victim treated him disrespectfully and he hit him once in the mouth with his fist.
"I hit him and knocked him to the ground," St. Clair testified. "He was knocked unconscious when I hit him."
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St. Clair said that co-defendant Myron Clark, 17, kicked Johnson in the head while the victim was on the ground, but that Isham didn't take part in the assault. He said Isham took Johnson's wallet.
The St. Louis County Attorney's Office is attempting to have Clark and Isham certified to stand trial as adults. Clark is charged with attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault, and first-degree aggravated robbery. Isham is charged with first-degree assault and first-degree aggravated robbery.
Before being sentenced, Sweetland ordered that St. Clair undergo an updated psychological evaluation, a chemical dependency evaluation, individual and family assessments and testing for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
She asked St. Clair if he had any comment for the court. He did not.
St. Clair kissed and hugged his mother and grandmother after the hearing before being returned to the Arrowhead Juvenile Center.
A 14-year-old boy also is charged in connection with the assault. He also appeared in court on Thursday but because of his age, his name and the juvenile court proceedings against him are not public information.
Doctors say it won't be known for nine to 12 months whether Johnson will regain full brain function. The beating left him with several abrasions and contusions on his face and head, his eyes were swollen shut and a CT scan indicated that his brain was bleeding.
According to the juvenile delinquency petition filed against Clark, he told Duluth police that he, Isham, St. Clair and the 14-year-old were on the Lakewalk when the victim came along. Clark said St. Clair hit the victim three times, knocking him to the ground, and then kicked him several times. Clark admitted that he touched Johnson's wallet and its contents, but he denied knowing who took the wallet from the victim.
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The 14-year-old told police that he took part in the robbery and told a different story than Clark. He said Isham asked the victim for a cigarette and St. Clair asked the victim for a lighter. He said St. Clair then hit the victim and that Clark kicked and stomped the victim. The 14-year-old admitted hitting the victim once in the stomach with his fist.
The 14-year-old said that Isham rolled the victim over, went through his pockets and took his phone. He said that Clark took the wallet. He said he started to run away, but looked back and Clark was kicking and stomping on the victim. He said St. Clair was trying to get Clark to stop.
