By: Devin Fry
DETROIT LAKES, Minn. (Valley News Live) – A Frazee man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for the December 2025 home invasion murder of 19-year-old Bryson May.
Arthur Deshun Campbell, 21, was sentenced Tuesday in Becker County District Court by Judge Michelle W. Lawson. Campbell was convicted on three felony counts: second-degree murder, second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, and soliciting juveniles to commit a felony.
All sentences run concurrently, for an effective term of 40 years. Campbell will receive credit for 151 days already served and was ordered to pay $6,567 in restitution. He will serve his sentence at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in St. Cloud.
What Happened
Becker County deputies responded to a report of shots fired at 701 Ash Ave. W. in Frazee just after 2:30 a.m. on Dec. 20, 2025. They arrived to find May with gunshot wounds to his chest and head. He was transported to Essentia St. Mary’s, where he later died. The Ramsey County Medical Examiner ruled his death a homicide caused by multiple gunshot wounds.
Court records show Campbell and co-defendant Kayne Mackner, 16, of Detroit Lakes, forced their way into the home armed with handguns and dressed in black. Campbell wore a ski mask. The group drove from Hawley to Frazee to collect a debt — but went to the wrong house.
Witnesses told investigators Campbell went upstairs and pistol-whipped a juvenile girl, while Mackner remained on the main floor with May and his mother, Emmy Johnson. Court records indicate Mackner shot May twice in the chest. Campbell then came downstairs and fired two more shots at the already-wounded May.
Johnson witnessed her son’s murder.
“They didn’t know who Bryson was. He was telling him, ‘Don’t shoot me, don’t shoot me.’ His last words were, ‘please don’t kill me,’” Johnson said.
Other Defendants
Mackner accepted a plea deal in February 2026 and agreed to be charged as an adult on second-degree murder charges. The Becker County Attorney’s Office recommended a maximum 35-year sentence. His sentencing has not yet been announced.
A third suspect, Cash Mathieu, 17, of Perham, was charged as an adult earlier this month. He is accused of driving the group to Frazee and is charged with first-degree aggravated robbery and aiding an offender to avoid arrest.
