Willie John Selmon II, 41, was sentenced today for his role in the death of Michelle McGill, announced Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena.
Judge Timothy McManus sentenced Selmon to 120 months in prison. This was a downward durational departure from the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines — the state asked for 261 months. Selmon pled guilty to one count of second-degree murder (drive-by shooting) in June 2024.
According to court records, in the evening of July 10, 2022, Apple Valley police officers were called to a residence on the report of several shots fired. When officers arrived, they found 49-year-old, McGill, also from Apple Valley, in the driveway suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Selmon told police he was in a long-term relationship with McGill, but they recently broke up. He went to McGill's home to get some of his things. When he arrived, both McGill and her son and co-defendant Billy Pryor Jr., 27, were sitting in separate vehicles in the driveway.
Pryor backed his vehicle next to Selmon's and told him he had a gun. Pryor then started shooting, hitting Selmon in the face twice. After being shot, Selmon exited his vehicle and ran to the front of McGill's car, hoping Pryor would stop shooting. The two men continued to shoot at each other, and McGill was caught in the crossfire during the exchange. According to the autopsy report, she had suffered 10 gunshot wounds and died at the scene.
County Attorney Keena thanked the Apple Valley Police Department and the Minnesota BCA for their investigation of the incident.
Pryor's next court date is scheduled for March 2025.