On 4/9/2025, Bryan Hooper Sr. walked out of prison to his waiting family, after being wrongly convicted in 1998 of murdering 77-year-old Ann Prazniak.
The Hennepin County District Court in Minnesota exonerated Hooper after receiving a handwritten confession from Chalaka Young, the key witness who originally testified against him.
In April 1998, Prazniak's body was discovered in a cardboard box in her Minneapolis apartment. Officials determined she had died of asphyxiation more than two weeks prior.
Neighbors reported that during those two weeks, Prazniak's apartment was used as a site for drug use and prostitution.
Young's fingerprints were found on pieces of duct tape on the apartment floor, and investigators determined it matched the tape found on Prazniak's body. When questioned, Young denied any knowledge of the murder and implicated Hooper.
Young claimed to have been threatened and forced to watch as Hooper killed Prazniak, and then helped to hide the body.
Hooper admitted to being in Prazniak's apartment, as his fingerprints were found in the living room, but denied any involvement in the murder.
At the time of Hooper's trial, Young was also facing criminal charges in an unrelated case and received a reduced sentence for cooperating with prosecutors.
Young's false testimony was corroborated by four other witnesses who also claimed Hooper killed Prazniak. All four received benefits for their testimony and have since recanted their statements over the years.
In 1998, Hooper was sentenced to three life terms but was eligible for release after 30 years.
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Bryan Hooper Sr. (center) smiles as he embraces his children after leaving prison on 4/9. Photo: Star Tribune |
Bryan Hooper Sr. (center) smiles as he embraces his children after leaving prison on 4/9. Photo: Star Tribune
In July 2025, while serving an 8-year sentence for aggravated assault, Young wrote a letter taking "responsibility for two innocent lives I have destroyed."
"I can no longer live with the fact that an innocent man sits in prison for a crime he did not commit. I am not asking for forgiveness, but to take responsibility for two innocent lives I have destroyed and to make amends once in my life," Young wrote.
Young reiterated this confession to investigators and to Hooper's family in recorded prison phone calls.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office stated, "We believe Bryan Hooper did not commit this crime. He spent 27 years in prison for something he didn’t do. We can never give Mr. Hooper back what was taken from him in 1998, and I’m deeply sorry for that." The office also confirmed they filed a motion to vacate Hooper's conviction.
Now free and reunited with his family, Hooper is looking forward to the future and making up for lost time.
According to the chief of staff for the Hennepin County Attorney, Prazniak's case will be referred back to the Minneapolis Police Department for further investigation.
Young has not yet been charged in Prazniak's murder and is expected to be released from prison in about four years for the other case.
Tue Anh (according to Nypost)
