Man sentenced for straw purchasing guns used in killings of Trinity Ottoson-Smith, Aniya Allen

A judge sentenced a man to nearly three years in prison for straw purchasing dozens of guns, some of which were tied to criminal activity across the Twin Cities, including the killings of two young girls in 2021.

Court documents say William Burton was sentenced on Monday to 33 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for one count of conspiracy to make false statements in the purchasing of firearms.

Charges say Burton bought 43 firearms between November 2019 and August 2020. By April 2025, 17 of the guns had been found under circumstances associated with criminal activity. 

In May 2020, Burton bought the gun that was used in the murder of 9-year-old Trinity Ottoson-Smith, who was shot while jumping on a trampoline during a birthday party in May 2021, court documents say. Dpree Robinson was sentenced to more than 37 years in prison for killing her.

The criminal complaint also said that in March 2024, Minneapolis police found a handgun that Burton bought four years earlier behind the bar of a saloon. Analysis showed the gun had been used in 10 different instances, including in the fatal shooting of 6-year-old Aniya Allen. Allen was hit in the head by a stray bullet while she was sitting in a car with her mother. Her killing remains unsolved.