Minneapolis man cleared of triple homicide gets 26 years for kidnapping

A Minneapolis man with an extensive criminal record who was acquitted of killing three people in St. Paul has been sentenced to 26 years in prison for kidnapping and wounding a man in the same city two days before that 2022 shooting.

Antonio Dupree Wright was given consecutive terms at the prosecution’s request for kidnapping and attempted murder. Ramsey County District Judge Kelly Olmstead on Monday also granted Wright, 42, credit for 488 days already served, the Pioneer Press reported.

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Prosecutors argued that Wright shot a 37-year-old man identified in the criminal complaint as DW, who considered Wright to be a close friend, because Wright thought DW was going to snitch on him after overhearing Wright discussing a 2017 killing.

Antonio Dupree Wright of Minneapolis is seen in an undated booking photo. (Minnesota Department of Corrections via AP, File)

According to the criminal complaint, Wright asked DW to get in a van with him, and then pressed a handgun to his head. The driver told Wright not to shoot DW in the van. Wright then chased and shot DW as he tried to run away. Police found DW on the front porch of a home with four gunshot wounds.

Two messages seeking comment Wednesday from Wright’s lawyer weren’t immediately returned.

Two days after the Sept. 2 shooting, five people were shot in St. Paul, and three of them died. Prosecutors charged Wright with second-degree murder and attempted murder.

Wright, whose eight prior felony convictions included selling drugs, assault, armed robbery, burglary and other crimes, was arrested that Sept. 7 in Chicago, and charged in both shootings.

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Wright waived his right to a jury in the triple homicide case, allowing a judge to decide his guilt or innocence. Olmstead, citing insufficient evidence, found him not guilty on those charges.