Woodbury Teen Pleads Guilty in Carjacking, Shooting

Oct 9

A Woodbury teenager has pleaded guilty to shooting and robbing a man during a setup that began on a dating app last December in Minneapolis.

Seventeen-year-old Randal Bernard Williams entered the plea Wednesday to one count of first-degree assault causing great bodily harm.

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In exchange, prosecutors agreed to dismiss three other charges including attempted second-degree murder, two counts of first-degree aggravated robbery and two other juvenile cases.

The case stems from a violent carjacking on Dec. 5, 2024, when officers were called to the 3900 block of 11th Avenue South around 11:26 p.m. and found a man shot five times in the torso. The victim told police he had been carjacked by three females and two males after meeting one of them, who went by “Sasha,” through a dating app. He said the group lured him to the alley under the pretense of visiting a grandmother before one of the men, known as “T-Moe,” pulled a gun and opened fire.

Investigators later identified Williams as “T-Moe” and determined that he and co-defendant had planned the robbery through text messages exchanged earlier that evening. Police found video on the co-defendant’s phone showing her driving the victim’s Mazda before the shooting and a later message from Williams stating, “I gotta lay low.” The victim survived the attack but suffered permanent injuries, including the partial removal of his stomach.

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Williams and the co-defendant were arrested together in Red Wing in January. Prosecutors noted that Williams had already been charged in a separate first-degree burglary with the same co-defendant weeks before the shooting.

A Hennepin County judge ordered Williams to stand trial as an adult in July. Under the plea agreement, he admitted to the assault charge and agreed to a 114-month prison term—an upward departure from sentencing guidelines—while the remaining counts, including attempted murder and robbery, will be dismissed. Sentencing is scheduled for later this month.

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