Deondrae Atkins, a 33-year-old resident of Saint Paul, MN, was found dead on November 13, 2022, near a downtown loading dock. Officers discovered his unresponsive body on the 200 block of West Ninth Street, close to the Dorothy Day Center, just after 2 a.m. Atkins was pronounced dead at the scene, with a gunshot wound identified as the cause of death.
A large sum of money was found in his pants pockets, along with a cellphone and a bullet nearby.
Surveillance footage revealed that Atkins had parked his sedan in the area where he was later found. A few hours after his arrival, a man exited an SUV parked a few cars behind Atkins' vehicle and approached him. After a brief conversation, the man returned to the SUV. Approximately 30 minutes later, the same man and another individual, identified as Jesse Willis Gleeson, 32, exited the SUV and approached Atkins' car again. Gleeson attempted to open the car doors, and shortly after, the other man shot Atkins. Atkins managed to get out of his car and walk away, hunched over, before collapsing on the sidewalk.
Gleeson was later arrested at an apartment complex in Oakdale. He was charged with two counts of second-degree murder in connection with Atkins' death. Gleeson provided multiple alibis and stories but eventually confirmed that the shooter was a man known as 'Skee,' who remains at large. If convicted, Gleeson could face up to 80 years in prison.
