Mpls murder charge comes nearly six years after assault

On July 30, 2012 Willie Mack Hervey became Minneapolis' 17th homicide victim of the year. He died five years after a man assaulted Hervey with his own stolen vehicle. Today, nearly six years after the assault, the Hennepin County Attorney's office filed murder charges against Hervey's alleged killer.

According to the complaint, in June of 2007, Scott Allen Lipe jumped into Hervey's idling Chevy Tahoe near Mortimer's bar on Lyndale and Franklin Avenues and tried to drive away. Hervey jumped on

the hood

the running board of the vehicle and was thrown at a high rate of speed and was seriously injured.

Political Coverage Powered by You

Your gift today creates a more connected Minnesota. MPR News is your trusted resource for election coverage, reporting and breaking news. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.

Later that year Lipe pleaded guilty to first degree assault for the incident and was sentenced to 122 months in prison. While Lipe sat in Lino Lakes prison, Hervey lay in a vegetative state in a nursing home. The complaint contains the following determination made by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner:

An autopsy conducted by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner, revealed that the victim died as a result of acute bilateral pneumonia. This condition was the result of the victim's persistent vegetative state caused by the blunt force craniocerebral injuries he suffered on June 19, 2007 after being thrown from the SUV driven by the Defendant. The Medical Examiner ruled the victim's death a homicide.

Lipe has been charged with second degree murder.

Homicide complaint by Minnesota Public Radio