GUILTY MN - Heidi Firkus, 25, fatally shot, St. Paul, 25 Apr 2010 *husband arrested 2021*

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Monday, January 30th:
*Trial continues (Day 2) (@ 9am CT) - MN – Heidi Marie Erickson Firkus (25) (April 25, 2010, shot in back & died, St. Paul) & husband Nicholas James Firkus (27) (shot in leg by alleged intruder) - *Nicholas James Firkus (27 @ time of crime/38/now 39) arrested (5/19/21), charged (5/20/21), indicted (9/3/21) & arraigned (10/12/21) with 1st degree murder (premeditated) & 2nd degree intentional (not premeditated) murder. Plead not guilty. $3M bond or $1M on condition of surrendering passport & not leaving Minnesota. Posted non-cash bond ($1M) & released. Plead not guilty.
Trial began on 1/23/23 & ended 1/27/23 with jury selection. Jurors: 7 women & 8 men.
Trial began on 1/27/23.
Case & court info from 5/19/21 to 1/13/23 & Jury selection Days 1-3 (1/23 to 1/25/23) reference post #166 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...25-st-paul-25-april-2010-arrest.103352/page-9
1/26/23 Thursday, Trial Day 4: Jury selection continued. Voir Dire. Order (#105). e-Service (State-4; Firkus-1). Jury selection continues on 1/27/23.
1/27/23 Friday, Trial Day 5: Jury section continued & Trial Day 1: Voir Dire. Court clerk minutes (#106 & 107). Jury has been selected.
Opening statements by Assistant Ramsey County Attorney Elizabeth Lamin & by attorney Robert Richman.
State witness: State witness: St. Paul Police Officer Darin McDonald, who responded to the scene. St. Paul Police Officer Yileng Vang, who responded to the scene.
for more info see post #174 (4th article) & 178 (article) here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...25-st-paul-25-april-2010-arrest.103352/page-9
Trial continues on Monday, 1/30/23.
 
Tuesday, January 31st:
*Trial continues (Day 3) (@ 9am CT) - MN – Heidi Marie Erickson Firkus (25) (April 25, 2010, shot in back & died, St. Paul) & husband Nicholas James Firkus (27) (shot in leg by alleged intruder) - *Nicholas James Firkus (27 @ time of crime/38/now 39) arrested (5/19/21), charged (5/20/21), indicted (9/3/21) & arraigned (10/12/21) with 1st degree murder (premeditated) & 2nd degree intentional (not premeditated) murder. Plead not guilty. $3M bond or $1M on condition of surrendering passport & not leaving Minnesota. Posted non-cash bond ($1M) & released. Plead not guilty.
Trial began on 1/23/23 & ended 1/27/23 with jury selection. Jurors: 7 women & 8 men.
Trial began on 1/27/23.
Case & court info from 5/19/21 to 1/13/23 & Jury selection Days 1-5 (1/23 to 1/27/23) & Trial Day 1 (1/27/23) reference post #182 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...5-st-paul-25-april-2010-arrest.103352/page-10
1/30/23 Monday, Trial Day 2: State witness: No info yet. Can not access article.
for more info see post #183 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...25-st-paul-25-april-2010-arrest.103352/page-9
Trial continues on Tuesday, 1/31/23.
 
www.startribune.com

No sign of burglary at St. Paul home on day of Heidi Firkus' death, police testify

Nicholas Firkus, who has pleaded not guilty to murder charges in his wife's death, said his gun went off as he struggled with an intruder.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com

Jan. 30, 2023
Several prosecution witnesses testified Monday that there was no sign of a break-in the day Heidi Firkus was shot and killed in her St. Paul home — as her husband told law enforcement.
[.....]
Retired St. Paul Police Cmdr. Kent Cleveland was called to the scene in 2010, and testified Monday that he saw no signs of a struggle.
"Everything was neat and organized," he said, noting that items including a beer bottle, receipt, gum and a magazine on a small table inside the front door appeared undisturbed. "There was nothing that indicated there had been a violent struggle."
[.....]
Rebecca Lindgren, who lives across the street from the house where the Firkuses lived, described the area as a "boring neighborhood" where any activity out of the norm would have led her two dogs to start barking.
"If the mailman came, it was like death," she said.
[.....]
The prosecution also played a 20-minute video that St. Paul Police Department crime lab investigator Shay Shackle recorded to document the scene.

The video showed Heidi Firkus' body lying on the kitchen floor. The rest of the house was tidy, and the refrigerator was full of food — a detail that Shackle, now retired, testified didn't fit if the couple was about to be kicked out of their home.
 
Events & Order by the Court:
01/30/2023 Jury Trial (9:00 AM) (Judicial Officer Castro, Leonardo)
Result: Held On the Record

01/30/2023 Hearing Held In-Person

01/30/2023 Court Clerk Minutes Index # 108

01/30/2023 Jury Trial (1:30 PM) (Judicial Officer Castro, Leonardo)
Result: Held On the Record

01/30/2023 Hearing Held In-Person

01/30/2023 Court Clerk Minutes Index # 109

01/31/2023 Jury Trial (9:00 AM) (Judicial Officer Castro, Leonardo)

link: https://pa.courts.state.mn.us/CaseDetail.aspx?CaseID=1628945922
 
Docket update:

Events & Orders of the Court
01/31/2023 Jury Trial (9:00 AM) (Judicial Officer Castro, Leonardo)
Result: Held On the Record

01/31/2023 Hearing Held In-Person

01/31/2023 Court Clerk Minutes Index # 110

01/31/2023 Jury Trial (1:30 PM) (Judicial Officer Castro, Leonardo)
Result: Held On the Record

01/31/2023 Hearing Held In-Person

01/31/2023 Court Clerk Minutes Index # 111

02/01/2023 Jury Trial (9:00 AM) (Judicial Officer Castro, Leonardo)


link: https://pa.courts.state.mn.us/CaseDetail.aspx?CaseID=1628945922
 
Not finding any current articles on what is happening in this for yesterday. I shall check later in the day - maybe something will pop up.

Wednesday, February 1st:
*Trial continues (Day 4) (@ 9am CT) - MN – Heidi Marie Erickson Firkus (25) (April 25, 2010, shot in back & died, St. Paul) & husband Nicholas James Firkus (27) (shot in leg by alleged intruder) - *Nicholas James Firkus (27 @ time of crime/38/now 39) arrested (5/19/21), charged (5/20/21), indicted (9/3/21) & arraigned (10/12/21) with 1st degree murder (premeditated) & 2nd degree intentional (not premeditated) murder. Plead not guilty. $3M bond or $1M on condition of surrendering passport & not leaving Minnesota. Posted non-cash bond ($1M) & released. Plead not guilty.
Trial began on 1/23/23 & ended 1/27/23 with jury selection. Jurors: 7 women & 8 men.
Trial began on 1/27/23.
Case & court info from 5/19/21 to 1/13/23 & Jury selection Days 1-5 (1/23 to 1/27/23) & Trial Day 1 (1/27/23) reference post #182 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...5-st-paul-25-april-2010-arrest.103352/page-10
1/30/23 Monday, Trial Day 2: State witness: Retired St. Paul Police Cmdr. Kent Cleveland. Rebecca Lindgren, who lives across the street. The prosecution also played a 20-minute video that St. Paul Police Dept. crime lab investigator Shay Shackle recorded to document the scene. The video showed Heidi Firkus' body lying on the kitchen floor. The rest of the house was tidy & the refrigerator was full of food — a detail that Shackle, now retired, testified didn't fit if the couple was about to be kicked out of their home.
for more info see post #188 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...25-st-paul-25-april-2010-arrest.103352/page-9
Trial continues on Tuesday, 1/31/23.
1/31/23 Tuesday, Trial Day 3: State witness: No info available.
Trial continues on Wednesday, 2/1/23.
 
Luna20 said:
*I’m not hearing anything negative about the defense performance. I’m hearing:

*Strong on intimidation-job performance and industry knowledge

*Tripping up the witnesses with incomplete sentences. Abrupt starts and stops.

*Continuing to drive the point that the investigation was flawed from the beginning, creating an overall theory for the jury. ‘If one part is truly mishandled then the whole case is a wash’.

I do believe that DH is hinging everything on the investigation being flawed and inadequate unless he can’t argue based on the phone logs.
Click to expand...
Quiet on the local front. Strange.

JMO
 
Can not find ANYTHING for what happened on Tuesday, 1/31 - but here is an article on Wednesday's hearing, 2/1/23.

www.twincities.com

Firkus murder trial: ‘Someone’s trying to break into my house,’ jurors hear from Heidi Firkus in 911 call

As murder trial continues, jurors heard 911 calls, recording of officers talking to Nicholas Firkus at hospital.
www.twincities.com www.twincities.com

Feb. 1, 2023
.....
As Nicholas Firkus’ 911 call from nearly 13 years ago was played for jurors, Firkus laid his head on the counsel table and his shoulders heaved. A transcript described Nicholas as hysterical in the 911 call from 2010 and he also cried in court on Wednesday.
On the fourth day of testimony in the trial, jurors also heard a recording of officers talking to Nicholas Firkus at the hospital. Medical staff who treated him at the hospital testified.
[.....]
Nicholas Firkus was taken by ambulance to Regions Hospital to be treated for his gunshot wound. Officers asked him questions at the hospital and their audio recording was played in court Wednesday.
[.....]
Dr. David Dries was chief of surgery at Regions Hospital when Firkus was brought to the emergency room. Dries was taking his turn on call, working an overnight shift.


Dries described Firkus’ wound as “tangential” — it was along the edge of his skin, rather than directly in it. It was consistent with a close-range shotgun injury and there was some singeing to his skin. It was shaped liked an “8” — entrance and exit wounds side-by-side. Medical staff evaluated if he had any blood vessel injuries or fractures; he did not.

Hospital records indicated Firkus’ wound was self-inflicted. Defense attorney Richman asked if Dries could determine whether it was self-inflicted during a struggle with an intruder over a gun or from shooting himself. The doctor said he could not.
[.....]
The trial continues Thursday.
 
Thursday, February 2nd:
*Trial continues (Day 5) (@ 9am CT) - MN – Heidi Marie Erickson Firkus (25) (April 25, 2010, shot in back & died, St. Paul) & husband Nicholas James Firkus (27) (shot in leg by alleged intruder) - *Nicholas James Firkus (27 @ time of crime/38/now 39) arrested (5/19/21), charged (5/20/21), indicted (9/3/21) & arraigned (10/12/21) with 1st degree murder (premeditated) & 2nd degree intentional (not premeditated) murder. Plead not guilty. $3M bond or $1M on condition of surrendering passport & not leaving Minnesota. Posted non-cash bond ($1M) & released. Plead not guilty.
Trial began on 1/23/23 & ended 1/27/23 with jury selection. Jurors: 7 women & 8 men.
Trial began on 1/27/23.
Case & court info from 5/19/21 to 1/13/23 & Jury selection Days 1-5 (1/23 to 1/27/23) & Trial Day 1-2 (1/27 to 1/30/23) reference post #191 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...5-st-paul-25-april-2010-arrest.103352/page-10
1/31/23 Tuesday, Trial Day 3: State witnesses: No info available. Trial continues on Wednesday, 2/1/23.
2/1/23 Wednesday, Trial Day 4: State witnesses: Prosecutor Elizabeth Lamin Firkus’ 911 call from nearly 13 years ago was played for jurors. Jurors also heard a recording of officers talking to Firkus at the hospital. Medical staff who treated him at the hospital testified.
Dr. David Dries was chief of surgery at Regions Hospital when Firkus was brought to the emergency room.
for more info see post #194 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...5-st-paul-25-april-2010-arrest.103352/page-10
Trial continues on Thursday, 2/2/23.
 
www.twincities.com

At Firkus murder trial, Heidi’s mother says 25-year-old didn’t know of impending eviction

Defense attorneys say Heidi Firkus knew about foreclosure and looming eviction. Prosecutors: not so.
www.twincities.com www.twincities.com

Feb. 3, 2023

Heidi and Nick Firkus were both close with their parents, but they hadn’t told them about their St. Paul home being foreclosed on and their impending eviction before Heidi was fatally shot in 2010.


Was it essentially a “family secret” that the young couple kept from their families? That was the question Nick Firkus’ attorney, Joe Friedberg, put to Heidi Firkus’ mother on the witness stand during Nick Firkus’ murder trial Thursday.

Heidi Firkus’ mother, Linda Erickson, said she didn’t agree with the defense attorney’s assessment.


When prosecutor Elizabeth Lamin posed the question to Erickson, she asked if the foreclosure and eviction was a secret that Nicholas kept from everyone. “Yes,” Erickson said.

What Heidi Firkus knew — or didn’t know — is a core issue in the trial.
[.....]
It wasn’t only Nick and Heidi Firkus’ parents who didn’t know about their financial situation or upcoming move, another witness testified Thursday.

Sarah Olson said Heidi was one of her best friends. People called their group of friends — comprised of four women and each of their husbands — “The Core” because they “were so tight and always together,” Olson told jurors.
[.....]
The trial continues Friday [2/3/23].
 
Friday, February 3rd:
*Trial continues (Day 6) (@ 9am CT) - MN – Heidi Marie Erickson Firkus (25) (April 25, 2010, shot in back & died, St. Paul) & husband Nicholas James Firkus (27) (shot in leg by alleged intruder) - *Nicholas James Firkus (27 @ time of crime/38/now 39) arrested (5/19/21), charged (5/20/21), indicted (9/3/21) & arraigned (10/12/21) with 1st degree murder (premeditated) & 2nd degree intentional (not premeditated) murder. Plead not guilty. $3M bond or $1M on condition of surrendering passport & not leaving Minnesota. Posted non-cash bond ($1M) & released. Plead not guilty.
Trial began on 1/23/23 & ended 1/27/23 with jury selection. Jurors: 7 women & 8 men.
Trial began on 1/27/23.
Case & court info from 5/19/21 to 1/13/23 & Jury selection Days 1-5 (1/23 to 1/27/23) & Trial Day 1-4 (1/27 to 2/1/23) reference post #195 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...5-st-paul-25-april-2010-arrest.103352/page-10
2/2/23 Thursday, Trial Day 5: State witnesses: Linda Erickson, Heidi's mother. Sarah Olson, Heidi was one of her best friends.
for more info see post #196 (article) here:
https://www.websleuthscom/forums/th...5-st-paul-25-april-2010-arrest.103352/page-10
Trial continues on Friday, 2/3/23.
 
Docket update:

Events & Orders of the Court:
02/01/2023 Jury Trial (9:00 AM) (Judicial Officer Castro, Leonardo)
Result: Held On the Record

02/01/2023 Jury Trial (1:30 PM) (Judicial Officer Castro, Leonardo)
Result: Held On the Record

02/01/2023 Hearing Held In-Person

02/01/2023 Court Clerk Minutes Index # 112

02/01/2023 Order-Other Index # 113 (Judicial Officer: Castro, Leonardo )

02/01/2023
e-Service
State of Minnesota
Served 02/01/2023

02/01/2023
e-Service
State of Minnesota
Served 02/01/2023

02/01/2023
e-Service
State of Minnesota
Served 02/01/2023

02/01/2023
e-Service
State of Minnesota
Served 02/01/2023

02/01/2023
e-Service
FIRKUS, NICHOLAS JAMES
Served 02/01/2023

02/01/2023 Hearing Held In-Person

02/02/2023 Jury Trial (9:00 AM) (Judicial Officer Castro, Leonardo)
Result: Held On the Record

02/02/2023 Court Clerk Minutes Index # 114

02/02/2023 Jury Trial (1:30 PM) (Judicial Officer Castro, Leonardo)
Result: Held On the Record

02/02/2023 Hearing Held In-Person

02/02/2023 Court Clerk Minutes Index # 115

02/02/2023 Hearing Held In-Person

02/02/2023 Court Clerk Minutes Index # 116

02/03/2023 Jury Trial (9:00 AM) (Judicial Officer Castro, Leonardo)

02/03/2023 Jury Trial (1:30 PM) (Judicial Officer Castro, Leonardo)
Result: Held On the Record

02/03/2023 Hearing Held In-Person

02/03/2023 Court Clerk Minutes Index # 117

02/03/2023 Hearing Held In-Person

02/03/2023 Court Clerk Minutes Index # 118

02/06/2023 Jury Trial (9:00 AM) (Judicial Officer Castro, Leonardo)


link: https://pa.courts.state.mn.us/CaseDetail.aspx?CaseID=1628945922
 
Can not find any articles on what happened on Friday, 2/3/23....

Monday, February 6th:
*Trial continues (Day 7) (@ 9am CT) - MN – Heidi Marie Erickson Firkus (25) (April 25, 2010, shot in back & died, St. Paul) & husband Nicholas James Firkus (27) (shot in leg by alleged intruder) - *Nicholas James Firkus (27 @ time of crime/38/now 39) arrested (5/19/21), charged (5/20/21), indicted (9/3/21) & arraigned (10/12/21) with 1st degree murder (premeditated) & 2nd degree intentional (not premeditated) murder. Plead not guilty. $3M bond or $1M on condition of surrendering passport & not leaving Minnesota. Posted non-cash bond ($1M) & released. Plead not guilty.
Trial began on 1/23/23 & ended 1/27/23 with jury selection. Jurors: 7 women & 8 men.
Trial began on 1/27/23.
Case & court info from 5/19/21 to 1/13/23 & Jury selection Days (1/23 to 1/27/23) & Trial Day 1-5 (1/27 to 2/2/23) reference post #197 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...5-st-paul-25-april-2010-arrest.103352/page-10
2/3/23 Friday, Trial Day 6: State witnesses: No info available.
Trial continues on Monday, 2/6/23.
 
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