Demetrius Wynne trial for murder of Susan Spiller jury selection begins

Jury selection begins for Demetrius Wynne trial

The trial over the murder of Susan Spiller began jury selection this week.

(FOX 9) - Family and friends of north Minneapolis artist and activist Susan Spiller are hoping for justice and a sense of closure nearly seven years after she was brutally killed in her Dupont Avenue home.

Spiller was found stabbed to death in her own bedroom following an apparent break-in, July, 2015.

On Monday, jury selection began in the pandemic-delayed trial of her alleged killer, Demetrius Wynne.

Wynne, who is now 21, was just 14 years old at the time of Spiller's slaying. 

A judge certified the defendant as an adult, and the case is proceeding in adult court.

After the grisly discovery of Spiller’s body, investigators determined someone had likely broken in through a back window of the house as the window screen was cut.

Family and friends of north Minneapolis artist and activist Susan Spiller are hoping for justice and a sense of closure nearly seven years after she was brutally killed

For years, the case went cold until 2019 when authorities announced a fingerprint and DNA match from the scene to Wynne. He had just been arrested on an unrelated assault case and his information was loaded into a state database. Hennepin County Attorney’s charged him with second-degree murder and sought successfully to prosecute him as an adult. 

Wynne’s defense attorney argues the evidence laid out in the charging documents does not mean his client is guilty.

"You might take a fingerprint and think that means something more than it should be," Ira Whitlock said. "But a fingerprint or DNA does not equate to murder, and this young man is innocent."

Whitlock concedes that Wynne had a "casual" relationship with Spiller dating back to her murder.

Authorities have said they were neighbors at the time and Spiller had issues with him as something of a trouble-making teen.

In fact, she had allegedly called 911 on Wynne a couple times the night of her murder to report he was messing with a neighborhood fire hydrant.

Defense attorney Ira Whitlock 

Jury selection began Monday with Spiller’s son in the courtroom. Wynne also had several family members and supporters. 

Whitlock told FOX 9’s Paul Blume, "It's going to be a tough case. No question. Any time you get a young man charged with murder, the state didn't bring the case for no reason. They thought they

had reason. It's my job to hold them to the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. But it's definitely going to be a tough case."

No jury was seated by day’s end. The process is scheduled to resume Tuesday morning, March 22, before both sides make their opening statements.