Current:Home > StocksMinnesota man acquitted of killing 3 people, wounding 2 others in case that turned alibi defense-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Minnesota man acquitted of killing 3 people, wounding 2 others in case that turned alibi defense
View Date:2024-12-23 18:37:37
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A judge has acquitted a Minnesota man accused of fatally shooting three people and wounding two others in St. Paul last year in a case that turned on an alibi defense.
Ramsey County Judge Kelly Olmstead on Friday found Antonio Dupree Wright not guilty on all charges, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported. Wright, 42, of Minneapolis, had waived a jury trial, allowing the judge to decide his fate.
“There’s insufficient evidence to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is the person who committed these heinous crimes,” Olmstead said.
Prosecutors had charged Wright with second-degree murder and attempted murder, alleging he was the masked man who fired a handgun at the victims at a St. Paul duplex on Sept. 4, 2022. Killed were Angelica Gonzales, 33, Cory Freeman, 42, and Maisha Spaulding, 44.
“There is no question that the victims were intentionally targeted for murder,” Olmstead said. “The sole, true issue in this case is the identity of the shooter.”
Wright’s attorney, Joe Friedberg, argued in his written closing that Wright had a “proven” alibi: He was in Chicago at the time.
“This is just a horrible case of a massacre, where the state charged the wrong guy,” Friedberg told the newspaper after the verdict.
On the day of the shooting, Wright’s aunt testified during the trial, he stopped by her Chicago home unannounced at 10 a.m. for a visit. His mother testified he went to her apartment at 10 p.m., which would have been over five hours after the shooting. She identified the man seen on surveillance video from the apartment lobby as her son.
Friedberg also argued that witnesses had testified the shooter had dreadlocks, which Wright didn’t have.
Stephen Anderson, who was shot in the head and hands, had told investigators that the gunman was named Antonio, the charges said. Anderson also picked Wright out of a photo lineup as the shooter. But Anderson backtracked at trial, saying the shooter had dreadlocks and was not Wright.
“While we are disappointed in the outcome, we respect the court’s decision,” prosecutors said in a statement.
Wright still faces kidnapping and attempted murder charges from a separate incident and remains jailed on $2 million bail.
veryGood! (4595)
Related
- Early Week 11 fantasy football rankings: 30 risers and fallers
- 'I never seen a slide of this magnitude': Alaska landslide kills 1, at least 3 injured
- Arizona home fire kills 2, including a child, and injures 3
- The best family SUVs you can buy right now
- Inspector general finds no fault in Park Police shooting of Virginia man in 2017
- US national parks are receiving record-high gift of $100M
- Kroger and Albertsons head to court to defend merger plan against US regulators’ objections
- Alabama HS football player dies after suffering head injury during game
- Bodyless head washes ashore on a South Florida beach
- Tennessee Republican leaders threaten to withhold funds as Memphis preps to put guns on the ballot
Ranking
- Dallas Long, who won 2 Olympic medals while dominating the shot put in the 1960s, has died at 84
- Utah judge to decide if author of children’s book on grief will face trial in her husband’s death
- Some think rumors of Beyoncé performing at the DNC was a scheme for ratings: Here's why
- AEW All In 2024: Live results, match grades, card, highlights for London PPV
- California teen pleads guilty in Florida to making hundreds of ‘swatting’ calls across the US
- Water Issues Confronting Hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail Trickle Down Into the Rest of California
- What’s behind the bloodiest recent attacks in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province?
- Trump is expected to tie Harris to chaotic Afghanistan War withdrawal in speech to National Guard
Recommendation
-
Ford agrees to pay up to $165 million penalty to US government for moving too slowly on recalls
-
Lando Norris outruns Max Verstappen to win F1 Dutch Grand Prix
-
NFL preseason winners, losers: Trey Lance remains a puzzle for Cowboys
-
Traveling over Labor Day weekend? Have a back-up plan for cancellations and delays, and be patient
-
California farmers enjoy pistachio boom, with much of it headed to China
-
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Absolute Units
-
The best family SUVs you can buy right now
-
Manslaughter probe announced in Sicily yacht wreck that killed 7