Life in prison for Minnesota’s ‘most prolific’ child abuser

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A former Twin Cities area teacher and coach convicted of sexually abusing more than a dozen young boys spanning multiple schools was sentenced Monday to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years.

"He was our teacher. He was our coach. But he was also a predator," said a statement from one of the victims read by an advocate in court on Tuesday.

Prosecutors also revealed in court that there were dozens of additional child victims depicted in videos they were unable to identify.

Before he was sentenced, Hjermstad said, "There’s nothing I can say or do that can take back my deplorable actions." He apologized to victims and families, and added, "I tried to manipulate everyone for my own personal benefit."

Aaron Hjermstad’s path of abuse spanned several years and multiple schools 

What we know:

Aaron Hjermstad is already serving a 12-year prison sentence for sex crimes committed against four boys dating back to 2015. He was indicted in September 2024 on new charges involving new victims.

Aaron Hjermstad’s sex crimes against young boys occurred while he was a teacher at Excell Academy in Brooklyn Park and Mastery School in Minneapolis (now Harvest Best Academy). 

In September 2025, he pleaded guilty to 12 additional counts.

Former students shed light on teacher sex abuse 

What they're saying:

Two former students say they were not even teenagers when they were sexually abused by Hjermstad. He was their P.E. teacher and basketball coach at Excell Academy.

One of Hjermstad’s first known victims told the FOX 9 Investigators he was abused during an overnight sleepover at Hjermstad’s house. 

"I’m just thinking like, it’s my coach," the former student said. "I opened my eyes in the middle of my sleep and my hand was on his private part." 

 The student reported the abuse to police in 2015 but no charges were filed at the time. Hjermstad would go on to abuse more children. 

"I know I’m not the only one," the former student said. 

In a court proceeding earlier this year, Hjermstad admitted one child was only 5 years old at the time of the abuse.

Warrant suggests 127 child victims targeted by former teacher 

By the numbers:

In 2021, Hjermstad was convicted of sexually abusing four young boys. Prior to sentencing, he was found with a large number of videos which are part of a new investigation.

The videos were highly organized and labeled with the initials of child victims, according to a search warrant obtained by the FOX 9 Investigators. 

 There were 127 different sets of initials. 

 "He is one of the most prolific offenders I’ve ever encountered in four decades," said attorney Jeff Anderson.

 Anderson has handled some of the most high-profile sex abuse cases in the country, including against the Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts. 

 "Hjermstad targeted a particular group of kids– underprivileged, young black kids," Anderson said. "He videotaped dozens and dozens of them in his home as he violated them."

‘They told me that one of my children was in those tapes’

What they're saying:

The mother of one of the former students told the FOX 9 Investigators they only learned about the abuse after law enforcement showed up at their home last year.

 "They told me that one of my children was in those tapes and videos," she said. 

The former student said investigators showed him photos and video of him unconscious and being sexually targeted and abused by Hjermstad. 

 "I do think I was drugged," he said. "Every time we took a shower, he’d give us a shower snack… and maybe 30 minutes, an hour later, we’d all go to sleep." 

 The student’s mother called Hjermstad a "monster."

Dig deeper:

Hjermstad was also at the heart of a civil lawsuit filed against Best Academy, which accused the school of negligent hiring and failing to conduct reference checks. A settlement was reached in the case back in September, according to a court filing.