Duluth, MN - Eric Alphonse Niedermeyer could have faced a minimum 25 years for aggravated homicide but today he walks out of court a free man after a jury acquitted him of all charges connected to the 2010 slaying of Jimmy Ray Johnson.
In a case that left the local District Attorney's office in a state of shock legal experts are sure to be debating the ramifications of today's verdict.
"I flabbergasted," said Assistant DA Daniel Carlson just after the judge cleared the courtroom. "We had witnesses. We had the murder weapon with blood and hair from the victim. We even had the accused on video tape explaining to officers--both verbally and in pantomime--how he killed Jimmy Ray Johnson."
Indeed, the prosecution took 3 days to meticulously lay out its case on how Mr. Johnson met his sudden end. Yet, it was all undone when the defense showed a single photograph of the victim.
In that picture the deceased was seen leaning up against an orange El Camino wearing a dirty white tank-top t-shirt, aviator sunglasses and a greasy baseball cap that reads, "Free mustache rides" while holding a case of Milwaukee's Best malt liquor.
"It was an open and shut case," said Mr. Niedermeyer's attorney. In fact, it was that very same outfit Mr. Johnson was wearing and the same car he was pulled from before being bludgeoned to death in the middle of the busy downtown intersection.
"A man is dead!" the Assistant DA shot back, overhearing our interview. "He didn't have anything to defend himself with except some old Hustler magazines and a microwaveable meatball sandwhich from 7-11!"
But the jury did not see it that way; ruling it a case of justifiable homicide in what could only be called record time. They never even left the jury box once the case was remanded to them for deliberation, they simply looked at each other and then the jury foreman shrugged and nodded his agreement before telling the judge the defendant was not guilty.
Not content to allow the matter to sit the ADA followed the just-acquitted Mr. Niedermeyer out of the courtroom.
"He was on his way to his weekend visitation with his children to take them to the monster truck rally and you took that from them!"
"Well, then we'll just call it a mercy killing instead!" the defense attorney shot back before court bailiffs separated the two parties.
"I think I did what any reasonable person would have done under the circumstances," Niedermeyer said, his voice cracking with emotion, before being whisked away by his attorney to an awaiting car.
In a telephone interview Niedermeyer's wife, Jenny, she said that now the ordeal of the trial is behind them they hoped to get back to their normal lives running a disposal service that specializes in incinerating velvet images of dogs playing poker.
