A judge in Ramsey County, Minnesota, has acquitted Antonio Dupree Wright of all charges in a triple homicide case that occurred in St. Paul last year. The decision was made by Judge Kelly Olmstead after Wright waived a jury trial, allowing the judge to determine his guilt or innocence. The charges against Wright included second-degree murder and attempted murder, alleging that he was the masked man who shot and killed Angelica Gonzales, Cory Freeman, and Maisha Spaulding, while also injuring two others, at a St. Paul duplex on September 4, 2022.
Judge Olmstead stated that there was insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Wright was the perpetrator of the crimes. She emphasized that the central issue in the case was the identity of the shooter. Wright’s defense attorney, Joe Friedberg, presented an alibi defense, arguing that his client was in Chicago at the time of the shooting. Wright’s aunt testified that he visited her in Chicago at 10 a.m. on the day of the incident, and his mother testified that he was at her apartment at 10 p.m., over five hours after the shooting. Friedberg also highlighted that witnesses described the shooter as having dreadlocks, which Wright did not possess.
Stephen Anderson, one of the victims who was shot in the head and hands, initially identified Wright as the gunman named Antonio. However, during the trial, Anderson retracted his statement, claiming that the shooter had dreadlocks and was not Wright.
Prosecutors expressed disappointment with the outcome but respected the court’s decision. Wright still faces kidnapping and attempted murder charges from a separate incident and remains in custody with a bail set at $2 million.
