Sarah Gad has a record of proven results in Minnesota's most serious homicide cases.
When someone is charged with murder, there is no room for passive representation. Homicide cases demand exhaustive preparation, aggressive motion practice, and a defense attorney prepared to take the case all the way to a jury.
Attorney Sarah Gad of Gad & Gad Law Offices has defended clients facing some of the most serious homicide charges in Minnesota, including first-degree premeditated murder, second-degree murder, felony murder, and manslaughter.
Her results include a NOT GUILTY verdict on first-degree murder in September 2026, the complete dismissal of a second-degree murder prosecution, and multiple second-degree murder cases resolved with sentences of less than 6 years.
First-Degree Premeditated Murder: NOT GUILTY
In September 2026, Sarah Gad secured a not-guilty verdict on first-degree premeditated murder in Hennepin County.
The circumstances made the result particularly significant. Less than two weeks before trial, the State escalated the prosecution by adding first-degree premeditated murder, exposing the client to Minnesota's most serious homicide charge and a life sentence. The defense did not ask for a delay. Instead, Gad prepared to defend the newly added charge on an extraordinarily compressed timeline, tried the case as scheduled, and directly attacked the State's theory of premeditation before the jury.
The client was acquitted of first-degree murder.
For someone searching for a Minnesota first-degree murder defense lawyer, the distinction matters: this was not a charge negotiated away before trial. The State pursued first-degree murder before a jury, and the jury returned a verdict of NOT GUILTY.
Second-Degree Murder: Entire Case Dismissed
In another Minnesota homicide case, Gad represented a man charged with second-degree murder following a fatal shooting at a Brooklyn Park convenience store.
The client had been arrested by U.S. Marshals in Virginia, extradited to Minnesota, and held on $2 million bail. The prosecution's case depended heavily on an accusation from the alleged getaway driver, without independent evidence adequately tying the client to the murder.
Gad challenged the prosecution through a motion to dismiss for lack of probable cause and prepared the case for trial. At the omnibus hearing, the State dismissed the murder case in its entirety. The client, who had been facing decades in prison, was released from custody.
Second-Degree Murder: Less Than 10 Years
Not every homicide case should be tried to a verdict. Sometimes the most important result is dramatically reducing a client's exposure while protecting as much of the client's future as possible. Gad & Gad has obtained sentences of less than ten years in all second-degree murder cases, despite the extraordinarily serious sentencing exposure associated with a murder conviction. Those outcomes reflect the same approach the firm brings to trial: investigate the facts, identify weaknesses in the State's theory, litigate aggressively, and negotiate from a position built through preparation rather than fear.
Minnesota Homicide Defense Built for High-Stakes Cases
Murder prosecutions are different. They often involve enormous discovery records, forensic evidence, cellphone and location data, cooperating witnesses, surveillance footage, expert testimony, and competing theories of intent, causation, or identity. Our approach is equally intensive. We examine the State's evidence from the ground up. We challenge unconstitutional searches and seizures. We scrutinize witness credibility. We test whether the evidence actually proves the mental state required for the charged degree of homicide. And when the State cannot prove its case, we are prepared to ask the court to dismiss it or a jury to reject it.
If you or someone you love is facing first-degree murder, second-degree murder, felony murder, manslaughter, or another homicide charge in Minnesota, contact Gad & Gad Law Offices to discuss the case. When the stakes are life-changing, the defense should be too.