Man charged for St. Paul triple homicide, also faces charges for another shooting days prior
UPDATE: Antonio Wright was acquitted on all charges in connection with this shooting on Sept. 15, 2023. The original story is below.
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A 41-year-old man is facing multiple felony charges in connection to a triple homicide that occurred in St. Paul last weekend.
Antonio Dupree Wright was arrested in Chicago on Wednesday morning with the help of the FBI.
Wright is charged with three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder for the deaths of Maisha Spaulding, 44, Cory Freeman, 42, and Angelica Gonzales, 33. Two others were injured and remain in stable condition.
The shooting happened late Sunday afternoon on the 900 block of Case Avenue East in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood.
RELATED: Victims identified in St. Paul triple homicide: "This is a sad day for our community"
Police say officers had been called to the residence more than 17 times this year due to aggravated assaults and disorderly conduct.
One of the victims, who was shot three times, named Wright as the suspect and identified him as a heroin dealer. The victim said he was close friends with Wright, who had recently become paranoid about people "snitching" on him.
The criminal complaint states that the victim owed Wright $500 for heroin but suspects Wright shot the group because he thought they had "snitched."
Wright also faces charges concerning a separate shooting two days before the triple homicide. Police say Wright shot another man four times because he thought the victim overheard Wright discussing a murder and was going to "snitch."
Wright has eight prior felony convictions: burglary in the first degree, assault in the third degree, two armed robberies, aggravated fleeing police, possession of cocaine, and possession of a schedule I or II controlled substance in a school zone.
Wright's bail is set at $2 million. Wright will make his first appearance in court when he is extradited from Chicago to Minnesota.
