Man sentenced to 12.5 years in prison for deadly St. Paul road rage shooting
Anthony Trifiletti offers his apology before being sentenced to 12 and a half years behind bars for the road rage shooting in St. Paul. (FOX 9)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A judge has sentenced a man to more than 12 years behind bars for the deadly shooting of a man in St. Paul following a minor car crash in May of 2020.
Twenty-four-year-old Anthony Trifiletti was convicted in April of second-degree murder for the death of Douglas Lewis in a second trial that followed a mistrial.
Prosecutors said Trifiletti shot and killed Lewis after Lewis had bumped into his vehicle at the Burns Avenue exit on Highway 61. Investigators say the minor collision escalated when both men got out of their vehicles to exchange insurance information and ended with Trifiletti opening fire and hitting Lewis four times.
Trifiletti and his attorney claimed he had acted in self-defense, claiming Lewis reached under his shirt as if he was going for a weapon. But, police said Lewis was unarmed.
In court on Wednesday, six people shared victim impact statements on how Lewis' murder had affected them.
"He gone, that hurt my heart so bad, deep down inside, it like went to my heart," said Lewis' sister Alexandria Gaston-Atwater.
During that time, Douglas Lewis’ grieving family opened up about the death of their brother, nephew, and dad. At one point, Lewis’ 13-year old daughter cried her eyes out, telling Judge Thomas Gilligan that she and her siblings are lost without the care and protection of their father.
"A lot of tears come with him not being here," added Douglas' sister Valerie Lewis. "The pain, confusion, mistrust, and void left with me and my family was a tragedy."
Along with Douglas' family, Trifiletti also offered an apology to the Lewis family during his opportunity to speak ahead of sentencing.
"Believe me when I say, I wish more than anything I could pain away," Trifiletti told the court. "I wake up every day with a heavy heart and regret for my actions. I would do absolutely anything to bring him back or trade my life for his and I mean that."
Trifiletti and his attorney have maintained it was a matter of self-defense as Trifiletti pulled out a gun and fired in fear of his life.
"What happened on May 1st was a tragedy," he added. "In no way am I justifying my actions, but I need you all to know, I am not a murderer. I would never go out of my way to harm someone."
"Two families have been torn apart because of what happened May 1st and there is nothing I can do as a judge to put those families back together," concluded Judge Gilligan before handing down his sentence.