Skip to Content
Podcast

RacketCast, Ep. 24: Terrorized In Your Own Home Feat. Davis Moturi

One Minneapolis homeowner's horrifying saga.

John Sawchak’s home, left, and Davis Moturi’s home.

|Em Cassel

The horror Davis Moturi and his wife, Caroline, experienced after moving into a cute white house on Grand Avenue in south Minneapolis has been well-documented. Moturi, a 34-year-old Black man, quickly realized his neighbor, 54-year-old white man John Sawchak, was determined to make his life hell.

Beginning in 2023, Sawchak's seemingly endless assault of racist remarks, violent threats, and disgusting vandalism barraged the Moturi household, according to Davis. He documented all of it, yet he says repeated pleas to the Minneapolis Police Department yielded indifference from law enforcement. Until, finally, Sawchak shot Moturi—the bullet shattered two ribs and embedded itself in his spine. Sawchak wouldn't be arrested until almost a week later.

Today, Moturi is still in physical and emotional recovery. (The prosecution of his assailant has been stalled after Sawchak was deemed mentally unfit to stand trial.) Moturi's body remains weakened, but his resolve to expose MPD's failings is as strong as ever. We invited him to share his harrowing story in a longform conversation on RacketCast.

"It has been hell, and people need to know what happened," Moturi tells us. "They deserve to know what happened."

Before all that, we debut a hit new segment known as Movie Minute. And here are the stories we gabbed about during What I Learned In Racket...

Subscribe to RacketCast wherever you get your podcasts—Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts, etc. Wanna advertise on RacketCast? Email us at advertise@racketmn.com. Special thanks to local band Van Stee for supplying our podcast music!

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Racket

Big Week For Women in Trouble on the Big Screen

Pretty much all the movies you can catch in the Twin Cities this week.

October 30, 2025

Report: Yes, Things Are Worse For Female Politicians

Plus AI data centers are using NDAs, fenced-off sidewalks suck, and a sweet turtle named Snooki in today's Flyover news roundup.

R.I.P. Former Spokesman-Recorder Publisher Wallace ‘Jack’ Jackman

Plus good O.D. news, weed still white, and the MN Senate in the balance in today's Flyover news roundup.

Moonflower Pizza Goes From Cathedral Hill Alley to a Regular Evening Gig at French Hen

Almost exactly five years after debuting as a pandemic pop-up, Moonflower Pizza is back, and it's wonderful.

October 29, 2025

For the Homeless, Finding a Place to Live Is Only Part of the Problem

From navigating financial aid to staying mentally well enough to work, the road to shelter is a long one that can take years.

See all posts