Minnesota Supreme Court Upholds Conviction of Buffalo Clinic Shooter

(KNSI) — The suspect convicted of murder and attempted murder following a mass shooting at a health clinic has had his life sentence upheld.

Gregory Ulrich is accused of walking into the Allina Crossroads Clinic in Buffalo and opening fire, killing 37-year-old Lindsey Overbay and seriously injuring Sherry Curtis, Antonya Fransen-Pruden, Jennifer Gibson, and Tamara Schaufler on February 9th, 2021.

He was found guilty in June of 2022 of one count of first degree murder for killing Overbay and four counts of attempted first degree murder for wounding the four others. He also detonated explosive devices during the attack.

Ulrich appealed his conviction to the Minnesota Supreme Court, saying the district court abused its discretion to deny a motion to strike a juror for cause as the juror “did not express actual bias,” requiring either rehabilitation or removal from the jury. He also said the court abused its discretion by denying a motion for a change of venue based on the failure of the defendant to renew the motion following jury selection.

The panel disagreed and said the record supports the guilty verdicts.

Under Minnesota law, Ulrich was sentenced to mandatory life in prison without parole for the most serious charge of first-degree murder. He also received 18 years each for the attempted murder charges.

Wright County Attorney Brian Lutes issued a statement saying, “I hope the decision of the Minnesota Supreme Court following a successful jury trial brings a sense of justice and finality to all those impacted by this awful event. As a citizen of Wright County, I am proud of how our community responded to this tragic event.”

He again extended condolences to the families and victim survivors and thanked the first responders who ran in to find and arrest Ulrich and administer first aid to the injured.

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