Overview
- Ramsey County charged 37-year-old Jerry Jovan Harris on Aug. 13 with one count of second-degree murder and one count of first-degree manslaughter in the death of 62-year-old Isaiah Jacob Wilson.
- Surveillance footage reviewed by prosecutors shows a man identified as Harris lifting his leg, rearing back and striking Wilson without provocation, causing Wilson to fall and hit his head on Aug. 3.
- Doctors found an acute left frontal subdural hematoma and later determined Wilson was brain dead; he was removed from life support on Aug. 7 and subsequently died.
- Catholic Charities staff who watched the video recognized Harris from prior campus incidents, and court records show a 2023 misdemeanor domestic assault conviction and a 2025 campus assault charge.
- Harris is scheduled for an initial court appearance and faces up to 40 years if convicted; the case has raised questions about shelter-site safety, repeat offending, and how agencies track and respond to prior violent incidents.