Quantdre Mersier

A Minot man who pleaded guilty in May to the November 2023 murder of another man has been sentenced to serve 23 years after a hearing on Friday, Oct. 24.

Quantdre Octavious Mersier, 32, appeared in North Central District Court in Minot before Judge Todd Cresap. Mersier had previously pleaded guilty to the Class AA felony murder charge in May, pleading guilty to fatally shooting Ansu Kamara, 29, at a southeast Minot residence on Nov. 17, 2023.

According to court documents, Minot Central Dispatch received a report shortly after 11 p.m. from Kamara’s roommate, who reported Kamara was shot and barely breathing. The roommate reported the shooter had run off.

After officers arrived, the roommate provided doorbell camera videos, which showed Kamara entering the residence when an unknown male ran at him with a gun. The video further showed the individual running into the closed door of the residence, before firing a shot in the door window and running off, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

Kamara was transported to a Minot hospital for treatment of a life-threatening brain injury caused by a bullet graze.

According to court documents, still images of the suspect were circulated among Minot Police personnel, and was identified as Mersier. Additional identification of Mersier from the still images was provided by other witnesses.

An arrest warrant was initially issued for Mersier on a charge of attempted murder, but Kamara was declared deceased on Nov. 24, 2023, elevated the charge against Mersier to Class AA felony murder. Mersier remained at large until he was arrested in April 2024 by the Fort Wayne Police Department and the U.S. Marshal Service in Indiana.

In accordance with the plea agreement, Cresap sentenced Mersier to a 50 year term with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, with all but 23 years suspended pending the completion of five years of supervised probation. Mersier will not be eligible for release until he has served 23% of his sentence. He was also assessed $1,025 in court fines and fees.