High Court Affirms Most Verdicts In Dewey's Death

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court has affirmed all but one of the guilty verdicts against the man who admitted to shooting Mahnomen County Sheriff's Deputy Christopher Dewey.

Dewey died in 2010, about 18 months after he was shot by Thomas Lee Fairbanks.

Fairbanks admitted he shot Dewey, but said he was high and intoxicated so there wasn't intent.

A jury found Fairbanks guilty of multiple counts, including first-degree murder of a peace officer and four counts of first-degree assault, stemming from a standoff with police. His attorney appealed on several grounds.

On Wednesday the Supreme Court rejected most of the defense arguments. But a conviction on one of the assault counts was reversed. The justices found that for that count, evidence that Fairbanks fired at deputies during the standoff was circumstantial.