Minnesota Man Acquitted of Triple Homicide Charges Due to Alibi: Judge Finds Insufficient Evidence

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Minnesota Man Acquitted in Triple Homicide Case Due to Alibi

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St. Paul, Minnesota – In a shocking turn of events, a judge has acquitted a Minnesota man accused of fatally shooting three individuals and injuring two others in St. Paul last year. Ramsey County Judge Kelly Olmstead delivered the verdict on Friday, finding Antonio Dupree Wright not guilty of all charges, stating that there was insufficient evidence to prove his involvement beyond a reasonable doubt, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Wright, a 42-year-old resident of Minneapolis, opted for a bench trial, granting the judge the sole responsibility of determining his fate. The prosecution had charged him with second-degree murder and attempted murder, alleging that he was the masked assailant who carried out the attack with a handgun on September 4, 2022, in a duplex in St. Paul. The victims were identified as Angelica Gonzales, 33, Cory Freedman, 42, and Maisha Spaulding, 44.

During the trial, Olmstead emphasized that there was undeniable evidence indicating that the victims had been deliberately targeted for homicide. The crux of the case hinged on establishing the true identity of the attacker. However, Judge Olmstead concluded that the evidence presented could not conclusively prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Wright was the perpetrator.

Wright’s attorney, Joe Friedberg, argued passionately in his closing statement, asserting that his client had an unassailable alibi. Friedberg maintained that at the time of the incident, Wright was in Chicago, Illinois.

“This is simply a horrible case of a massacre, where the state accused the wrong man,” Friedberg expressed to the newspaper following the verdict, questioning why the prosecution ignored the glaring inconsistencies in the alibi presented by Wright’s defense.

The defense called on Wright’s aunt and grandmother to testify during the proceedings. Wright’s aunt stated that he had made an unanticipated visit to her Chicago residence at 10:00 a.m. on the day of the shooting. Wright’s grandmother testified that she arrived at her apartment at approximately 10:00 p.m., occurring around five hours after the incident took place. She confirmed that the individual captured on the lobby’s surveillance footage was, indeed, her son.

While the verdict may come as a relief to Wright, who has maintained his innocence throughout the trial, it leaves authorities and the victims’ families grappling with unanswered questions and the hunt for the true perpetrator of this heinous crime. The St. Paul Police Department has reassured the public that they remain committed to bringing the responsible individual to justice.

The acquittal is likely to reopen the investigation and shift the focus back to finding the person responsible for the tragic loss of three innocent lives. For now, St. Paul remains haunted by an unsolved crime, plaguing the memories of those affected by this senseless act of violence.

As this high-profile case takes another twist, it serves as a reminder that justice is a complex maze, requiring strong, irrefutable evidence to hold individuals accountable for their actions.