Nearly two years after Minnesota's appeals court granted a new trial to a man convicted of a road rage murder in St. Paul, the state's Supreme Court struck down the ruling and the man's chance for a new trial.
Anthony Trifiletti, 28, argued his constitutional rights were violated during his 2021 trial because a witness was not available in person at the time. Prosecutors said the witness, who was in a car with her boyfriend at the time of the shooting, could not appear in person because they were exposed to COVID-19. The state appeals court agreed and granted Trifiletti a new trial in 2021.
Although Wednesday's Supreme Court ruling agreed that Trifiletti's constitutional rights were violated, the ruling said that violation was "harmless beyond a reasonable doubt."
"The district court's error in determining that a witness was unavailable under the Confrontation Clause was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt," the Supreme Court ruling authored by Justice Paul Thissen read. "We reverse the decision of the court of appeals."
Justice G. Barry Anderson dissented, and Justice Karl Procaccini took no part in the ruling.
Trifiletti's attorney, Anders Erickson, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Charging documents say 39-year-old Douglas Lewis bumped into Trifiletti's truck the night of May 1, 2020. The men pulled onto Burns Avenue to assess the damage, but the situation escalated into shouting and Lewis allegedly referred to a gang by saying,"I'm GD." Trifiletti told friends who followed him in another vehicle to leave, holstering his handgun before "unintentionally" following Lewis. Lewis parked and exited his car. Trifiletti did the same. That's when Trifiletti said Lewis reached under his shirt, prompting Trifiletti to fire at 3-4 bullets at Lewis.
Trifiletti left the scene, but returned on his father's advice. He told investigators that he feared for his life because he thought Lewis would shoot him.
Officers recovered six bullet casings from the scene and bystanders help Lewis before he was taken to Regions Hospital. He died during surgery that night. Officials found no weapons on Lewis, and the Ramsey County Medical Examiner said Lewis' cause of death was four gunshot wounds. Family remembered the father of four as a hard worker with a jolly spirit. They said Lewis left a barbecue in St. Paul's west side that evening with plans to return.
Trifiletti went to trial in early 2021, arguing he defended himself when fatally shooting Lewis after a traffic accident. The judge declared a mistrial when jurors could not reach a decision, launching a second trial where jurors convicted Trifiltti with second-degree murder and the second-degree manslaughter. He was sentenced to 12½ years.
"We are grateful for the Supreme Court's decision on this matter as it upholds the jury's verdict in this case and recognizes the special challenges that were faced by the judge, prosecutor, defense, and witnesses during the pandemic," Ramsey County Attorney's Office spokesperson Dennis Gerhardstein said in a statement. "Through the adversarial process and this appeal, it is assuring to know that the measures taken to ensure the safety of those involved in the trial during this difficult time did not deprive the defendant of a fair trial."
Star Tribune staff writers Liz Sawyer, Alex Chhith and Kim Hyatt contributed to this story.
Correction: An earlier version of this article said the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that Anthony Trifiletti's constitutional rights were not violated. The courts agreed Trifiletti's rights were violated, but said the violation was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.
