High court reverses conviction in 2006 slaying

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court has reversed a Minneapolis man’s first-degree murder conviction for a 2006 killing, saying the trial judge was wrong to exclude evidence that someone else might have been the shooter.

The Star Tribune reports Wednesday’s decision means a likely retrial for 28-year-old Calvin Ferguson, a self-described enforcer for the Rolling 30s Bloods who was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the death of 22-year-old nursing assistant Irene M. Burks.

Ferguson’s attorneys said Hennepin County District Judge Margaret Daly violated his right to a complete defense when she denied a motion to introduce evidence that connected an acquaintance of Burks to the shooting. The Supreme Court concluded the jurors might have reached a different verdict if they had known about that evidence.