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Verdict reached in Alex Becker murder case
Shaun Travis, one of the three charged in Alex Becker's murder, has gotten a not guilty verdict Friday afternoon. FOX 9's Paul Blume has more.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - One of the three suspects accused of killing a St. Paul man in an alley right outside his mother’s house last year has been found not guilty of aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
Shaun Travis, 26, was charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder in the death of 22-year-old Alex Becker. Travis chose to forgo a jury trial and instead went to trial in front of Ramsey County judge JaPaul Harris, who found him not guilty of the crime on Friday, saying that although he was present at the time of the killing, state prosecutors were unable to prove his role.
According to court records, Becker was found dead on Dec. 27, 2022, after being shot six times outside his mom’s home. Authorities have given no clear motive for the slaying other than it appeared to be an armed robbery attempt.
The group of three young men marked Becker as he walked alone. Prosecutors allege all three were in the alley when Becker was gunned down.
Travis, Detwan Allen and Arteze Kinerd were charged in the crime, but the three cases are being tried separately because of the defendants' varying alleged roles and defense strategies regarding fault, and who ultimately pulled the trigger.
Allen, 19, is currently on trial for aiding and abetting second-degree murder. Meanwhile, 21-year-old Kinerd is facing a second-degree murder charge, but a trial date has not yet been set.