ST PAUL, Minn. — Court documents show celebrity chef Justin Sutherland has pleaded guilty to charges alleging he pulled a gun and threatened to shoot his girlfriend last June. 

Sutherland signed a document in Ramsey County pleading guilty to one count of threats of violence – reckless disregard in the incident, which took place the evening of June 28. A criminal complaint issued against Sutherland says St. Paul police responded to an apartment building and were told by a woman who claimed to be Sutherland’s girlfriend that he pointed a gun at her and then hit her in the chest with it, allegedly saying “don’t come back here or I am going to shoot you.”

Other allegations included in the complaint include:

• Sutherland and the victim began arguing because they were no longer going to a music festival; Sutherland was upset by racist neighbors and was taking out his frustration on the victim.
• The victim said Sutherland put his hands around her neck and said “I want you dead.”
• The victim said when she ran from the house, Sutherland told her, “Don’t come back here or I am going to shoot you.” After he hit her with the gun, she put up her hands and said, “Don’t shoot me.”
• The victim said when Sutherland’s friend arrived, he was able to get the gun away from him.
• In a follow-up interview, the victim told police Sutherland strangled her, broke her phone and threatened to kill her more than once.
• When police arrived to arrest Sutherland, he screamed “You should just f****** kill me,” before surrendering while yelling racially derogatory remarks at the officer. 

Documents say that by pleading guilty, the chef and reality television star will receive a 360-day suspended sentence, which he will have to serve should Sutherland violate the terms of the agreement. He will also serve two years probation, perform 100 hours of community service, undergo a chemical dependency evaluation, and not possess firearms, among other stipulations. 

Justin Sutherland, a St. Paul native, competed on Season 16 of “Top Chef” and won Iron Chef America, where he went head-to-head with Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli. He has also served as co-host of TruTV’s “Fast Foodies” with Kristen Kish and Jeremy Ford, started Big E on Grand Ave. and is chef at Northern Soul at MSP Airport. 

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and needs help, call 800-799-7233 or text START to 88788 to be connected with someone from the National Domestic Violence Hotline. The hotline includes more options for support and identifiers of abuse on its website. 

For Minnesota residents, Cornerstone MN offers resources and safe housing for domestic abuse survivors and crime victims. Call 1-866-223-1111 or chat online with the crisis hotline.

ST PAUL, Minn. — College is a luxury that many smart and hardworking students may not be able to afford. 

With Minnesota’s North Star Promise Scholarship, many qualified students are now able to access quality education without tuition or fees. Metro State University has seen a lot of success with this new program implemented this fall. 

The university has awarded $2.1 million in funding to more than 1,000 students who otherwise would not have been able to afford college this year. The scholarship covers the balance of a student’s tuition and required fees after other scholarships, grands and waivers have been applied. 

This scholarship is possible at all Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, all University of Minnesota campuses and all Tribal Colleges. 

Metro State University leaders are sharing their findings with the public in a free webinar on Nov. 13 at 1 p.m.

As for eligibility, applicants must be a Minnesota resident and have a family Adjusted Gross Income below $80,000. For the full list of requirements and more information on the scholarship, click here. 

MINNEAPOLIS — The process of retrying the man convicted of murdering a talented North High School student-athlete begins in earnest Tuesday, with a hearing in the case of Cody Fohrenkam. 

Fohrenkam was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to more than 38 years for the shooting death of 15-year-old Deshaun Hill following a random encounter on a north Minneapolis sidewalk back in February 2022. Prosecutors said the two accidentally brushed shoulders while walking opposite ways on a Glenwood Avenue sidewalk, and Fohrenkam pulled a handgun and shot the teen. 

The convicted shooter’s defense team appealed, and in May 2024 the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled that videotaped statements Fohrenkam made to police were obtained while he was illegally detained. His defense attorneys argued that those statements were instrumental in the murder conviction. 

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty took the appeals court decision to the Minnesota Supreme Court, which declined to hear the case. She vowed to retry Fohrenkam, a process that begins with Tuesday’s hearing. 

“Deshaun Hill was an honor roll student and beloved quarterback at North High, and his tragic death due to gun violence shocked the entire community,” said Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty earlier this year. “We will prosecute Mr. Fohrenkam to hold him accountable for the murder of Deshaun Hill.”

Hill was out of school on the day he was killed as North High’s principal allowed students to leave school to take part in a protest. The teen’s family agreed to a $500,000 settlement with the Minneapolis Public Schools after alleging he would still be alive if not for the principal’s decision.