CRIME: Family of the victim say his nephew was unwittingly manipulated into assisting in the 1997 Douglas County shooting.
Using the word "bizarre" several times to describe the case of a man convicted in his uncle's voodoo ritual killing, a Douglas County judge sentenced the nephew to just three years in prison.
"I have never experienced a sentencing in which both a sister and daughter of the victim urged the imposition of a lenient sentence," Judge Michael Lucci said in Douglas County Circuit Court on Friday. "This just underlines the very unusual and bizarre nature of this."
Brent A. Thompson, of Kimball, Minn., was the accomplice in the 1997 shooting death of Mark Foster, a 45-year-old Minneapolis pharmacist and self-proclaimed voodoo high priest. Thompson, 29, admitted to driving Foster and the convicted shooter, Gregory Friesner, to rural Douglas County, dumping the gun in the St. Croix River and then repeatedly lying to police to throw them off the trail.
Douglas County District Attorney Dan Blank called the killing on July 18, 1997, a de facto assisted suicide.
Thompson's family and defense painted him as a troubled, overweight young man whose strangely charismatic and wealthy uncle took advantage of his health problems and low self-esteem to manipulate him into joining his cult.
Foster, though, was suicidal, and he plotted his own death after his business failed and federal authorities investigated him for illegally selling drugs, authorities said.
In death, Foster planned to transfer his soul to his student in voodoo -- the admitted shooter, Friesner, a New York drifter and Foster's roommate -- according to the criminal charges. Foster also told his adoring nephew that if Thompson didn't follow through with the plan, he would kill him.
"I know that he would have done just about anything my father asked him to do," Angela Foster said on her cousin's behalf. "I know my father was real sick."
Foster told the judge she already lost her father, and she didn't want to lose her cousin to prison. The sentiment was echoed by an aunt.
Thompson was given credit by the judge and prosecution for coming forward and breaking open a case that frustrated police since Foster's body was found clad in ceremonial white on a Danbury road in July 1997.
Friesner and Thompson also were indicted on federal charges of executing a scheme with Foster to claim $100,000 worth of Foster's life insurance policies as payment for the killing. No criminal charges have been filed against them in that part of the case. Federal prosecutors included Foster's wife in the indictment, but have not charged her.
Thompson pleaded guilty to being a party to second-degree homicide and to obstructing the investigation.
Lucci agreed to the plea agreement recommendations and sentenced Thompson to 20 years of probation for the homicide charge and three years in prison for the obstruction. Thompson probably will spend two years in prison with time off for good behavior.
Friesner, 29, was sentenced earlier this month to 10 years in prison for shooting Foster in the heart.