On a late Sunday night in Minneapolis, just before midnight on October 25, 2020, the life of 25-year-old Caucasian male Joshua-lee William Boyce was tragically cut short. He was found bleeding in the doorway of his father's home in the 1700 block of North Emerson Avenue, the victim of multiple gunshot wounds. Though gravely injured, he was able to speak to the responding officers.
In what would be his final words, Boyce identified his shooter as a friend, a man named Brent Buchan, poignantly adding, "my dying breath." He was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries the following day.
The events leading up to the fatal encounter began with a planned meeting between friends. Boyce had left his father's house to buy marijuana from Buchan. Their friendship, however, had recently become strained. Buchan suspected Boyce was involved in the recent killing of another one of his friends. Despite this serious accusation, Boyce reportedly believed the issue between them had been resolved. The meeting took place in an alley in the 1700 block of North Fremont Avenue, just a block from where Boyce was later found.
The entire tragic incident was captured on surveillance video. The footage showed Boyce getting out of a car and walking down the alley. Moments later, Buchan is seen exiting the same vehicle, following Boyce, pulling out a gun, and opening fire. The audio from the video recorded Boyce's screams and his desperate plea, "I swear it wasn't me, Brenty." This, along with Boyce's dying declaration to the police, became crucial evidence. Investigators also recovered Facebook messages between the two men, which confirmed they had arranged to meet that night.
Brent Buchan, who was 23 years old at the time, was arrested a few weeks later. When questioned, he initially denied having any contact with Boyce on the night of the shooting, but when confronted with the evidence of their online messages, he admitted they were his. In March 2022, a jury found Buchan guilty of intentional premeditated first-degree murder and second-degree murder. For the crime, Brent Buchan was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release.
