Ramsey County judge wants Aaron Foster Sr.'s actions chronicled on day of Maplewood woman's 1981 death
A Ramsey County judge said the question of Aaron Foster Sr.'s ongoing danger to the community "concerns me deeply," though she delayed a decision Wednesday on whether to erase the criminal record of his acquittal in a murder case.
Chief Judge Kathleen Gearin said she will allow two more weeks for an attorney representing the family of Foster's former girlfriend, who died in a 1981 domestic dispute with Foster, to file more information. Foster's attorney will then have two weeks to respond further.
"The actions (Foster) took on the date of death," besides the allegation of the murder itself, "I want to know that," Gearin said.
Foster was tried for the murder of Barbara "Bobbi" Winn in 2008 — 27 years after she died in her Maplewood home at age 35. Most evidence in the case was lost or destroyed. A jury acquitted him.
He applied last fall to expunge his record of the murder charge; the expungement was the subject of Wednesday's hearing.
But Winn's family, including her three children, fought to keep the case in the public eye as an example of the dangers of domestic abuse.
Attorney David Schultz, who represents Winn's family, said he would provide the court with trial court records and police reports from the Winn case and others in which Foster has been involved.
Laura Rosenthal of the Ramsey County attorney's office argued that Gearin should consider the way Foster disposed of the gun that killed Winn on May 8, 1981.
After the gun went off in Winn's home, striking her in the heart, Foster took the weapon and threw it out the window of his car. At trial, he contended the shooting was a suicide or an accident.
Foster's attorney, Earl Gray, said Wednesday that Foster immediately told police where they could find the gun.
Foster has had no criminal convictions since Winn died, Gray said.
But Patty Bruce, Winn's sister-in-law, told the court Foster has a history of violence that must not be ignored.
She said Gearin herself had signed an emergency order for protection requested by Lisa Foster, one of Foster's ex-wives, in 2002.
Gearin expressed surprise, saying she did not recall having done so. A copy of the court record shows Gearin co-signed a court referee's order.
"I don't think expungement should be a revolving door for violent offenders," Bruce said.
Foster was convicted in 1974 of assault and possession of a disabling chemical. Maplewood police noted they knew him for his "violent temper." He received a suspended sentence of 20 days. That charge later was expunged, Bruce said.
In 1985, Foster's estranged wife, Linda Foster, told police Foster pointed a gun at her head and threatened to kill her, according to a police report. Foster was arrested but not charged.
The notoriety around the Winn case stems in part from Foster's close relationship with former St. Paul police chief William Finney, who served as best man at one of Foster's weddings and eventually hired him to work in the police department. That relationship became an issue in the Ramsey County sheriff's race in 2006 when Finney challenged then-Sheriff Bob Fletcher.
In the 1985 incident, Finney, then a police lieutenant who was not assigned to the case, spoke to a Ramsey County prosecutor about the matter, a police report stated.
Fletcher reopened the Winn murder investigation — a move Finney said was politically motivated. Fletcher said it was about seeking justice for the family.
Fletcher's supporters said Finney's involvement in the Winn case — including his presence at the autopsy, when Maplewood was the investigating agency — raised questions about Finney's judgment.
Foster, now 59, was not at Wednesday's hearing.
Emily Gurnon can be reached at 651-228-5522.
United States | Judged:  1 1 1 Foster has put a stain on SPPD for far too long. Foster is now suing SPPD for racial discrimination because they wouldn't hire him back once he resigned voluntarily. The city has no obligation to hire him back once he voluntarily resigns. Both Finney and Foster have soiled the good reputation of SPPD. Have you ever wondered how Foster is paying for his high buck attorney? Drug money from his days running drugs for Duke. |
Saint Paul, MN | Further Issues of the Gun Aaron Foster has NEVER benn a licensed Cop to Carry a Weapon, On the Grave of www.jimcasci.blogspot.com he told me that the Gun was registered to Finney? which Casci testified to the Grand Jury then Casci died shortly thereafter.? 2nd the X Wife of Aaron Foster is Lisa Martin current Building Inspector for DSI. 3rd the Issues of Foster's Jobs at St.Paul Police Impound Lot Managers Aaron Foster and Ken Reed, DSI "taking: our Cars with full knowledge of City Council President Kathy Lantry and Dave Thune re:Cop- Corruption-Minnesota: Demand John Harrington PoliceChief RemovalMay 20, 2007 ... StPaul-Code-Cops: Ken Reed St.Paul Cop-Impound Lot- Aaron Foster ... 3&Bates Bus Cop- Corruption-Minnesota: Notice: Ins.Claim Stolen 91 ... cop-corruption-minnesota.blogspot.com/.../dem... - policechief.html - Cached - SimilarSt.Paul Police(RICO)Sep 11, 2010 ... Aaron Foster's Complicity with Murder of Barb Winn, Theft and ... Cop- Corruption-Minnesota: Theft Trespass Larceny RICO ... stpaulpolice-rico.blogspot.com/ - Cached - Similar |
