On a late Sunday afternoon in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the life of 44-year-old Maisha M. Spaulding, a Black/African American female, was tragically cut short. On September 4, 2022, gunshots shattered the peace in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood, marking a day of immense loss for the community. When police responded to a call around 4:30 p.m. at a duplex on the 900 block of Case Avenue, they discovered a horrific and complex crime scene.
Two individuals were found outside with multiple gunshot wounds, while inside the home, three people, including Spaulding, were found deceased.
The two other victims who lost their lives alongside Maisha Spaulding were identified as 42-year-old Cory Freeman and 33-year-old Angelica Gonzales. The incident, which also left two others injured, was not considered a domestic-related event by investigators. The shooting stunned the community, with city leaders and residents calling for an end to the senseless gun violence that had plagued their streets.
The investigation into the triple homicide led authorities to 41-year-old Antonio D. Wright. According to a witness who was a close friend of one of the victims and survived the shooting, Wright, who also went by the nicknames "Figg" or "D," arrived at the residence on a black motorbike. The witness described Wright as a heroin dealer with ties to a Chicago gang who had been acting paranoid, believing people were "snitching" on him. The witness stated that Wright entered the home wearing a black ski mask, a dark hoodie, and jeans, and soon after, began shooting. The witness recalled that Spaulding was sitting on the couch facing away from Wright when she was fatally shot in the head.
Wright was apprehended in Chicago on the Wednesday following the shooting and was charged with three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of second-degree attempted murder. Despite the initial charges and the witness testimony, the legal proceedings took a different turn. In September 2023, a Ramsey County judge found Antonio Wright not guilty on all counts. The acquittal was based on insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Wright was the perpetrator. A key factor in the verdict was Wright's alibi; his aunt testified that he was with her in Chicago at the time of the shootings. Surveillance footage from five and a half hours after the incident also placed him in Chicago. Furthermore, the initial witness who had identified Wright later testified during the trial that Wright was not the shooter, stating the assailant had dreadlocks, which Wright did not. This contradicted his earlier statements to the police. While the community continues to mourn the loss of Maisha Spaulding, Cory Freeman, and Angelica Gonzales, the question of who was responsible for their deaths officially remains unanswered in the eyes of the law.
