A judge has sentenced a Chisago City, Minn., man to more than 32 years after he was convicted of murder in a shooting that he claimed was a hunting accident.
John T. Quitter, 37, was sentenced Tuesday in Pine County District Court after jurors found him guilty of second-degree murder and fleeing police in connection with the shooting on Sept. 6 near Hinckley that killed Colton J. Abbott, 33, of Sandstone.
Quitter's sentence from Judge Heather Wynn of 32 years and seven months was at the top of the range recommended by state guidelines. With credit for time in jail since his arrest, Quitter is expected to serve nearly 21 years of his term in prison and the balance on supervised release.
According to the criminal complaint:
Abbott arrived at Essentia Health hospital in Sandstone in his pickup truck driven by Quitter. The complaint said Abbott "had over 250 BB wounds with a large concentration of them centered on the left side of his chest."
Quitter gave hospital staff a note with his name, "Lake Alma Road" and "Dick Berglund property" written on it. He said there had been "a coon hunting accident," according to the charges.
A woman told law enforcement she went with Abbott, who was her boyfriend, to retrieve some possessions from Quitter's trailer on the Berglund property on Lake Alma Road. She said she had dated Quitter long ago.
She said that after entering the trailer to meet Quitter, Abbott approached the residence, started yelling and broke a window. She said she heard a gunshot, ran to Abbott's pickup and found him unresponsive.
