Ex-boyfriend charged in Allison Lussier murder

All right, two and a half years later, charges finally come down in a high-profile, controversial murder case. Allison Lucier was found dead in her Minneapolis North Loop apartment in February of 2024. Former Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said she had a massive amount of drugs in her system, only to have to apologize after learning that was not the cause of death. So Fox 9's Karen Scullin joining us now with more on how prosecutors finally got to the point of charging ex-boyfriend Charles Fosse with murder. Karen? Family would say these murder charges and stalking charges should have come a long time ago, but that police didn't even treat it as a crime, even though there was little doubt among family that that's exactly what it was. Didn't think that this day would ever come. I didn't know that this day would ever come. Two and a half years after Allison Lucier died, her ex-boyfriend Charles Foss is now charged with her murder. Family had said from day one he was responsible, but they had trouble getting Minneapolis police to listen or even investigate it as a homicide. This is a big win. This is not just a win here for Minneapolis. This is a win for Indian country. An independent audit of the MPD investigation found there were multiple mistakes. For one, former chief Brian O'Hara stated there were massive amounts of drugs in Lucier's system, but the medical examiner made it clear she didn't die from the drugs, but rather a blow to the head. Due to some assumptions about the cause of death and a lack of investigation in the immediate aftermath, there were significant obstacles to developing a case for charging. This created more mistrust than there already was between the Native American community and law enforcement. But Lucier's family never gave up, put the pressure on to keep the investigation going and get the case solid enough to charge out. Due to the help of community members, we were able to talk to witnesses that were willing to talk to us that really helped us understand the depth of the domestic violence that occurred to Allison Lucier. MPD says because of this case, it has made some changes. More people watching domestic violence cases, more investigating from the start, and there's a new attitude. Referencing O'Hara's initial comment about Lucier's drug use. So, you know, that was the past administration that made that comment. This is a new administration. This feels unreal. I know it's a long process from here on out still, but it's the beginning of something, and I had my faith in them. Allison Lucier's family isn't stopping with these charges and this case. They say they are working on a bill that in the event of a death, if there's a past domestic violence, investigators will be forced to interview with family, adding they didn't get that chance back in 2024. No one would listen. Charles Foss currently is in prison on unrelated charges. Karen Scullin, Fox 9.