MINNEAPOLIS — Nearly seven years after Susan Spiller was murdered, the trial for her accused killer got underway in Minneapolis.
Demetrius Wynne, now 21 years old, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder in connection to Spiller's death. Wynne's trial was originally scheduled to start back in 2021, but jury selection was postponed until March 21, 2022.
In July 2015, police found Spiller's body inside her home while doing a welfare check. The 68-year-old artist and community activist died of "complex homicidal violence," according to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner, but the person responsible for Spiller's death remained a mystery.
For four years, the case went unsolved — that was, until Wynne's fingerprints made their way into the police database.
In Tuesday's opening statements, the prosecution alleged that Wynne's reason for killing Spiller may never be revealed.
"Maybe he was trying to steal from her; maybe something more sinister. We don't have to prove why," said Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Dan Allard.
Spiller's cell phone was the only thing stolen. Allard said Wynne's family, who lived next door to Spiller for years, had some sort of dispute with her.
While there is no clear motive, Allard told the jury they have very strong forensic evidence tying Wynne to the crime. His fingerprints were lifted from the window where the intruder entered the home, in addition to another window on Spiller's home that had been tampered with. The DNA found under Spiller's fingernails can also be narrowed down to a male in Wynne's family.
Wynne was just 14 when Spiller was murdered. Now 21, he looked much older in the courtroom than in earlier photographs.
The first witness to take the stand Tuesday was Spiller's son, Jason. In emotional testimony, he told the jury how he found the open window on his mother's house after noticing she did not come to the door as he arrived to drop off his son for her to babysit. The flowers beneath the window were trampled, which was uncharacteristic for Spiller who took great pride in her garden.
As for the defense's strategy, KARE 11's Lou Raguse says it's not yet clear. Wynne's attorney chose to wait to give his opening statement until after the prosecution is done presenting its case. As previously mentioned, the DNA evidence doesn't specifically narrow the suspect down to Demetrius Wynne — just to a male in his family. However, Wynne's defense attorney told the judge he does not plan to point the finger at any of the defendant's relatives.
Spiller is remembered by friends and the community as a beloved artist who was known for her colorful work with fused glass.
"She was the kindest, most generous soul," Spiller's friend Daune Atter told KARE 11 after Wynne was charged in 2019.
Atter earlier described Spiller's death as a "gut punch" to their neighborhood.
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