MONTEVIDEO

— One of two suspects charged for their alleged roles in a Sept. 24, 2025, drive-by shooting in Montevideo has entered a guilty plea.

David Michael Pillatzki, 28, of Willmar, entered a petition Thursday, July 2, in Chippewa County District Court to plead guilty to a charge of aiding and abetting a drive-by shooting, which will be reduced from the original felony to a gross misdemeanor as part of a plea agreement.

The agreement also calls for Pillatzki to cooperate in the prosecution against the other man charged in the incident.

The criminal complaint against Pillatzki alleges that he was a passenger in a vehicle from which shots were fired at a residence on the 400 block of South Third Street shortly after 8 p.m. Sept. 24. There were two occupants in the residence. Neither was injured.

Pillatzki was upset that his Ford Bronco had been shot on or about May 3, 2025, in Willmar, according to the complaint.

Contributed/ Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office

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The man suspected of firing the shots, Albert Vaniler Hughes, 27, of Montevideo, was charged in March after the results of laboratory analysis by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension were received.

DNA and ballistic evidence link Hughes to the gun used in the shooting, according to the complaint filed against him.

He has pleaded not guilty to felony charges of drive-by shooting, intentional discharge of a firearm, and reckless discharge of a firearm.

The District Court recently assigned his case to a different judge, and a new court date has not been scheduled.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have “ramped up” their pursuit of LeBron James in free agency, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

“The Minnesota Timberwolves have ramped up their push for LeBron James, with full belief that they are very much in the hunt to land one of the greatest players in NBA history, league sources told The Athletic. 

“The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe ongoing deliberations, said the Timberwolves have been in contact with James’ representatives with a bold pitch: team up with Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert to go after the kind of championship that could end any discussion about who is the greatest player of all time.”

Minnesota is in the mix based on comments that James’ agent, Klutch Sports Founder and CEO Rich Paul, made on his “Game Over” podcast with Max Kellerman.

Paul discussed potential landing spots for James with Kellerman via a white board. For what it’s worth, five teams were featured in the middle and more prominently than the rest: the Miami Heat, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Denver Nuggets, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Timberwolves.

Minnesota is a unique team for James to consider. On paper, Minnesota is probably in the second tier of the Western Conference right now behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs. James could elevate the Wolves, who have stars on offense (Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball) and defense (Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels). He would be a great fit in that lineup.

The Timberwolves’ problem is that they have a lot of competition for James’ services. Paul told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that he has spoken with 27 teams about James. But Minnesota is firmly in the mix.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Minnesota’s top public law office is shutting down a key unit that investigated wrongful convictions, and those who depend on it say the loss is a major blow for justice.

Minnesota Attorney General’s Office ends wrongful conviction reviews

What we know:

The Attorney General’s Office is closing its Conviction Review Unit (CRU), which has been responsible for investigating claims of wrongful conviction.

The move comes after a loss of federal funding that state officials blame on the Trump administration pulling a half-million-dollar grant.

“Current budget constraints do not allow the program’s costs to be absorbed without compromising other core responsibilities,” Attorney General Keith Ellison wrote in a statement to the FOX 9 Investigators. “It is disappointing that our federal government has decided to deprioritize identifying and correcting wrongful convictions.”

Advocates including Marvina Haynes, who fought for her brother Marvin’s release after he spent nearly 20 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, says the news is devastating.

“That really breaks my heart because people really depend on the CRU,” said Haynes. “This work is very important. Families depend on this lifeline, right? It gave people hope.”

The unit screened more than 1,000 cases while fully investigating and issuing findings in four previously closed convictions, including the 2009 case of Edgar Barrientos-Quintana.

Barrientos-Quintana was freed in 2024 after the CRU’s review uncovered a flawed case and a viable alibi.

Hennepin Co. has its own conviction review team

Local perspective:

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, who runs her own conviction integrity unit, said the Attorney General’s team has been a valuable partner.

“Mistakes happen, injustices happen, and we need to be humble enough to accept the fact that they do happen and make things right,” explained Moriarty. “They (the CRU) made a report in Barientos-Quintana that we accepted, and he was exonerated. So yes, they have been good partners to us.”

Moriarty said her office will continue to review cases but worries about the broader impact.

“When we have looked at cases, we have obviously had some exonerations, but we have also had cases that we have not recommended relief,” Moriarty said. “And so that should be assurance to the community that when somebody has asked us to take a look at their conviction, we have taken a deep dive into it and we haven’t found anything that would question the integrity of that conviction.”

Innocence Project also lost grant

Dig deeper:

Moriarty and others are concerned that the loss of both the Attorney General’s unit and a separate $600,000 federal grant to the Great North Innocence Project (GNIP) will make it much harder to uncover and correct mistakes in the state’s criminal justice system.

“The idea that people are perhaps in prison, wrongfully convicted, and that they would remain there without anybody reviewing their cases does take away hope, as you said. And that is an injustice,” said Moriarty.

Advocates say the closure leaves a gap for people seeking justice. “Yes, justice will not prevail because now who will be able to actually dive into the case? Even if they weren’t actively working on cases, that unit by itself gave people hope,” lamented Haynes.

Meantime, GNIP officials continue to reach out to donors to help bridge the organization’s ongoing funding gap.

“Conviction review units serve a vital role in ensuring that credible claims of innocence receive careful, independent review and that wrongful convictions are not allowed to stand because of procedural barriers,” GNIP’s Legal Director James Mayer wrote in a statement to the FOX 9 Investigators. “We remain committed to working with prosecutors across Minnesota to identify and correct wrongful convictions, and we hope to see more jurisdictions establish conviction review units in the years ahead.”

Attorney General’s Office budget cuts

What’s next:

Ellison has said he is open to resuming conviction reviews in his office if the necessary funding can be secured. Just last week, however, the office had to cut 17 staff members, including three attorneys, due in part to rising costs.