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On Wednesday, November 23, 2022, Nicholas Kraus, a Minnesota native, was sentenced to two decades in state prison after he pleaded guilty to killing a Black Lives Matter and anti-gun violence protester Deona Marie Erickson last year.
In June 2021, Nicholas Kraus, 36, while intoxicated, drove his jeep into a parked car that plowed through a crowd of protesters, including Deona Marie Erickson, who suffered fatal head trauma.
According to multiple reports, Erickson, 31, was one of the protestors gathered in Minnesota’s Uptown neighborhood to condemn the killing of Winston Boogie Smith Jr. Smith.
Smith, a 32-year-old black man, was shot by members of a U.S. Marshals Service task force. Kraus, described as a habitual drunk, was reportedly driving without a valid license during the incident.
Nicholas Kraus takes accountability for his actions that resulted in the death of a BLM protestor
According to officials, Nicholas Kraus took accountability for his crimes immediately after his arrest. Kraus, who was in an inebriated state during his arrest, said that he was trying to jump the barricade at the protest site when he barreled through the crowd.
Kraus, seemingly contrite during his sentencing hearing, apologized to the victim’s family for his error in judgment, which was clouded by alcohol and resulted in the death of a person.
As per a courtroom report by St. Paul-based ABC affiliate KST, Kraus, while addressing the court, said:
“I apologize to the families. I don’t expect them to forgive me.”
Nicholas Kraus pleads guilty on all charges
The sentencing comes a month after Nicholas Kraus pleaded guilty to one count of unintentional murder in the second degree and one count of assault with a dangerous weapon in the second degree in October. As per law and crime, the cap for the charges is notably set at 17.5 to 21 years in prison.
During the hearing, the defense told the judge that Kraus was reportedly in a dark place when he committed the crime. However, the judge decided to convict Kraus for twenty years to drill into the severity of the crime. During the hearing, the judge said that Kraus's crime had an impact on free speech despite the defense's argument that the actions were not politically motivated.
While sentencing Kraus, the judge said:
“It is never easy for someone who is in the position you’re in to truly wrap your head around what you’ve done.”
According to MPR News, Kraus, who appeared to be remorseful, accepted the judgment, saying that he deserved more than what the court decided. Kraus added that he would trade places with the victim.
