A Twin Cities man was sentenced to a prison term of just under three years after he illegally bought dozens of guns that fueled a slew of criminal activity, including the killings of two children in Minneapolis.
William Earl Burton, 27, of Blaine was sentenced on Feb. 9 in U.S. District Court after pleading guilty to making false statements while spending at least $18,000 on more than 40 handguns from November 2019 until August 2020 at various Twin Cities retailers.
Specifically, Burton failed to disclose during these “straw purchases” that he was profiting from by buying the guns for people who were barred from obtaining them because of their past crimes.
Two of the crimes that prosecutors say were carried out by others with guns Burton bought were the gang-related shooting that killed 9-year-old Trinity Ottoson-Smith as she was jumping on a trampoline with friends in north Minneapolis on May 15, 2021, and the North Side killing of Aniya Allen, 6, while she rode in her mother’s car.
D’Pree Shareef Robinson, 23, of Minneapolis was sentenced to 37 ½ years for Trinity’s death. Aniya’s killer remains at large.
The children’s deaths became a rallying point for the North Side and beyond, drawing attention to violence that gripped parts of the city.
“Innocent people were robbed, shot and murdered with the very firearms that [Burton] acquired and put in the hands of criminals in order to enrich himself,” Assistant U.S. Attorney David Classen wrote in his presentence filing. “Simply put, the damage [Burton] caused is incalculable.”
In response, defense attorney Lisa Lopez sought a sentence of 2¼ years for her client. Lopez pointed out that Burton’s past includes mental health challenges and drug addiction, but Lopez said he has advanced his education since his arrest and “has enjoyed the sobriety he has gained over the past months, and feels better mentally and physically.”
