HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016 08-18 St. Paul man gets 17 years for Maplewood bar murder PIONEER PRESS8/22/2016 St. Paul man gets 17 years for Maplewood bar assault
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By ''UW COGIT11IIII I vcooney@pioneerpress.com
PUBLISHED: August 18, 2016 at 3:20 pm I UPDATED: August 18, 2016 at 4:03 pm
A St. Paul man was sentenced Thursday to 17 years in prison for his role in the November 2014 fatal assault on a
man celebrating his 40th birthday at Freddy's Tiki Hut in Maplewood.
Brandon Jermel Smith, 25, pleaded guilty in June to one count of second-degree murder without intent in Ramsey
County District Court.
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8/22/2016 St. Paul man gets 17 years for Maplewood bar assault
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His victim, Eduardo "Titi" Alberto Figueroa, loved helping people, his family recalled. And that's what If igu iieiroa was
doing when he stopped his 40th birthday celebration at Freddy's Tiki Hut to help the owner remove a trio of
disruptive patrons: Smith, Ronald Dean Smaller and a woman.
"He would give whatever he had or stop whatever he was doing to help others ... We lost a heart of gold and a
great person who helped many," said his wife, Maria Figueroa, in a victim impact statement read at the sentencing.
As the group headed to the door, the woman grabbed Figueroa's 18 -year-old daughter by the hair. When Figueroa
tried to intervene, the two men assaulted him, knocking him to the floor, stomping on his head and kicking him
repeatedly, according to authorities.
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8/22/2016
St. Paul man gets 17 years for Maplewood bar assault
Figueroa died of heart failure caused by the assault later that morning, chargessaid.
"It was so unnecessary. It was so brutal," said prosecutor Elizabeth Lamin. After the attack, Smith failed to express
any remorse for his actions or sympathy for the people affected, she said.
When given the opportunity to address the courtroom, Smith turned tote[ I two female relatives in attendance that
he loved them but did not address or acknowledge the Figeroa family.
"He didn't even turn to look, he didn't even care. It hurt," said family friend Daniel Medina.
"It would have been nice if he was able to get the maximum (sentence)," Maria Figueroa said. "The only thing that
eases me is that when he gets out, there's no way he's taking that out of his record. People will know."
A member of Smith's family, asked to comment, said she was sorry for the Figeroa family.
As the sentencing hearing began, Smith's attorneys requested a continuance to address the reason charges against
him were delayed. While Figueroa was killed in 2014, Smith and Smaller were not chairged wiith two counts of
secoired..degiree imui irdeit until October 2015.
"The state had a probable case within one week," said public defender Evan Tsai.
The Pioneer PressIlpirr vv ou si y irelpoirl:ed Maplewood Police Chief Paul Schnell as saying the charges would be
delayed until a cardiovascular specialist decisively linked the beating to Figueroa's death.
Ramsey County District Judge Diane Alshouse did not grant the motion, saying she did not see any violation of due
process and that delaying the sentence would be a "hardship" to the victim's family.
The additional second-degree murder charge against Smith was dismissed at sentencing. He will receive credit for
the time he has served in prison, more than a year and a half.
Smaller'sjurytrial is scheduled to begin Oct. 31.
Tags: Crime
Tory Cooney
Tory Cooney is covering local news for the Pioneer Press while on a Collegiate Network fellowship
for 2016
V Follow Tory Cooney @r,hnm,r,; r„r„ney
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