A Minnesota father walked free this week after spending nearly three decades behind bars for a murder he didn’t commit.
According to the New York Post, Bryan Hooper Sr. was exonerated and released on Sept. 4 after 27 years in prison, following a confession from the prosecution's original key witness in a 1998 murder trial that wrongly sent him to jail.
In 1998, 77-year-old Ann Prazniak was found dead inside a cardboard box in her Minneapolis apartment. Authorities determined she had died by asphyxiation and had been deceased for over two weeks before her body was discovered. During the investigation, the apartment was described as having been used for illicit drug use and prostitution in the time following her death. Bryan Hooper Sr., who had some connection to the apartment, was arrested that year and later convicted of the killing. He received three life sentences, with an opportunity for release after 30 years. At the time, the prosecution’s case largely rested on testimony from Chalaka Young, who claimed Hooper forced her to help cover up the crime.
Young, who was facing unrelated charges at the time, provided statements accusing Hooper of using her as a lookout and threatening her to assist in hiding the body. Her story led prosecutors to offer her a lighter sentence in exchange for her cooperation. Hooper, meanwhile, acknowledged having been in the apartment—his fingerprints were found on a living room table—but maintained he had nothing to do with the killing.
Key Witness Admits to the Crime
In July 2025, nearly 27 years later, Young submitted a handwritten confession to the Hennepin County District Court. In her letter, written from a Georgia prison where she is serving an eight-year sentence for aggravated assault, she admitted to not only lying during the original investigation but to being solely responsible for Prazniak’s death.
“I am not okay any longer with an innocent man sitting in prison for a crime he did not commit,” she wrote. In the letter, she acknowledged the damage her actions caused, saying her “soul [sick] purpose” was to finally take accountability. She further confessed during a recorded prison phone call to both law enforcement and her family members. Her fingerprints had previously been matched to tape similar to what was used on Prazniak's body, a detail known during the original investigation but overlooked at trial due to her cooperation with prosecutors. Her confession reopened the case and prompted a fresh review by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors Acknowledge Mistake After Decades
On Sept. 4, 2025, Bryan Hooper Sr. was released from Stillwater Correctional Facility in Bayport, Minnesota. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office joined a petition to overturn his conviction, citing clear evidence of his innocence. “We are convinced that Bryan Hooper did not commit that crime,” said Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty. “We can never return what was taken from Mr. Hooper in 1998, and for that, I am sorry. However, we can do the right thing today.”
According to her office’s Chief of Staff Shawn Daye, the murder case has now been returned to the Minneapolis Police Department for further investigation. As of now, Young has not been charged with Prazniak’s death and remains incarcerated on the unrelated charge, with her release expected in about four years.
Emotional Reunion With Family After Release
Outside the Stillwater facility, Hooper reunited with his adult children, including his daughter Bri’ana Hooper. Between hugs and tears, she reflected on the time lost while her father was wrongfully imprisoned. “Twenty-seven years of missed birthdays, missed milestones, holidays,” she said. “Twenty-seven years of lost opportunity and time that we can’t get back. But today we don’t have to lose, we don’t.”
Hooper Sr., now a free man, expressed intentions to remain in the Twin Cities area, where his children live, as he starts to rebuild his life. Advocates with the Great North Innocence Project, which helped bring the confession to light, say his release marks a significant moment in the state’s legal history.
Witnesses Say They Lied for Incentives
Young’s revelation also led to renewed scrutiny of testimony from the 1998 trial. In addition to her false statements, four other witnesses also admitted they had lied under oath. All of them have since recanted, stating they were given incentives by the prosecution to help secure Hooper’s conviction. These testimonies had helped establish a timeline and narrative that prosecutors used to link Hooper to the crime. However, with multiple recantations and Young’s direct confession, officials agreed the conviction could no longer stand on legal or moral grounds.
Hayley Poxleitner, a spokesperson for the Great North Innocence Project, emphasized the significance of Hooper’s release. “Now a free man and reunited with his family, Hooper Sr. is looking forward to the future and making up for the time he’s missed,” she said.
New Investigation May Lead to Charges
While the Minneapolis Police Department has reopened the Prazniak case, it remains uncertain whether new charges will be filed against Chalaka Young. Authorities confirmed that her confession has been documented, and further investigation will determine the next steps.
In light of the confession, some legal experts are calling for an in-depth review of any other cases in the county involving testimony from incentivized witnesses. Prosecutorial reliance on such testimonies, they argue, could have led to more wrongful convictions. For now, Hooper Sr. is focusing on healing and catching up on what he called “a lifetime delayed.” His advocates hope his case will serve as a turning point in preventing similar miscarriages of justice in the future.
