Court Won’t Hear Challenge To Little Falls Murder Indictment

LITTLE FALLS (AP) - The Minnesota Supreme Court won't consider an appeal by a homeowner indicted in the deaths of two teens who broke into his house.

Byron Smith wanted the court to review a decision by a Morrison County judge who let stand a grand jury indictment on two counts of first-degree murder in the 2012 deaths of 17-year-old Nicholas Brady and 18-year-old Haile Kifer. Smith's lawyers argued that prosecutors made errors during the grand jury proceedings.

District Court Judge Douglas Anderson denied motions to suppress statements Smith made to investigators after the shootings.

Smith is scheduled for trial April 14. The shooting stirred debate about how much force homeowners can use when protecting property.