Nicholas Firkus murder conviction upheld by Minnesota Supreme Court

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Supreme Court has upheld Nicholas Firkus’ conviction for first-degree premeditated murder in the 2010 shooting death of his wife, Heidi Firkus. 

Murder conviction upheld

The backstory:

In a decision filed on Wednesday, the court ruled that the circumstantial evidence presented at trial was sufficient to support the jury’s guilty verdict, and upheld Firkus’ 2023 conviction and sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

On April 25, 2010, Heidi Firkus was fatally shot inside their St. Paul home. He argued that an intruder broke into their home around 6:30 a.m., prompting him to grab a shotgun. He said he struggled with the person and the gun discharged twice, hitting Heidi in the back and him in the leg.

Investigators did not find any unidentified DNA on the gun or from swabs taken from the door. No sound of a struggle was heard during the 911 calls and there was no evidence showing signs of forced entry.

Investigators learned the couple’s home was in foreclosure, and they were set to be evicted the day after the shooting, but officers noted that each room was fully furnished and there was no sign the house was set to be vacated. Prosecutors argued that Heidi appeared unaware of the foreclosure.

On direct appeal, Firkus argued the state’s case relied on circumstantial evidence and did not exclude a reasonable possibility that an intruder was responsible. He also contended that the trial court applied the wrong legal standard when denying his motions for judgment of acquittal before the jury returned its verdict.

However, the Minnesota Supreme Court ultimately rejected both arguments, though several justices wrote separate opinions addressing how courts should apply the circumstantial-evidence standard. 

The full Supreme Court opinion can be found below: