Appeals court reverses Maple Grove woman’s murder conviction

The Minnesota Court of Appeals has determined a Maple Grove woman convicted of killing her boyfriend deserves a new trial because the jurors in her case weren’t given proper instructions from the court.

The appellate court’s opinion, which was filed Monday morning, says the Hennepin County District Court’s jury instructions “materially misstated the law of self-defense by defining ‘imminent’ as ‘immediately’ and by failing to tailor the instruction to the unique circumstances of the case.”

Based on that, the Court of Appeals reversed Stephanie Clark’s conviction for second-degree murder in the death of 30-year-old Don’Juan Butler.

Clark, now 32, has claimed self-defense in the killing by stating that Butler became abusive toward her and was getting worse. She said that came to a head on March 5, 2020, after they’d gotten into an argument, saying Butler punched her, held a gun to her head and threatened to kill her.

Clark said that’s why she picked up a gun and shot Butler multiple times, killing him.

However, the jury in her trial convicted Clark of second-degree murder in October 2021 and she was sentenced last year to more than 25 years in prison.

Clark’s attorney also argued that the district court abused its discretion in the admission of witness testimony and in preventing Clark from offering relevant testimony for a downward departure at her sentencing. However, the Court of Appeals didn’t even offer opinions on those arguments, as it had already agreed to reverse her conviction based on just the jury instructions.

“I’m incredibly grateful and I think the right result was reached today,” Clark’s attorney, Eric Doolittle, told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, adding that he believes the judge’s jury instructions “took it out of the jury’s hands.”

Additionally, Caitlinrose Fisher, who wrote Clark’s appeal, offered the following statement:

“The law in Minnesota requires jury instructions that account for the unique circumstances facing victims of domestic violence. We are glad that the Minnesota Court of Appeals recognized that the district court’s jury instructions were not tailored to domestic violence and did not account for the terror and abuse that Ms. Clark experienced before she acted in self-defense.”

A spokesperson for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said prosecutors disagree with the opinion and are evaluating their options to appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court.