Minneapolis man sentenced to 20 years in prison for 2023 murder of neighbor

A Minneapolis man was sentenced Friday to 20 years in prison for murdering his neighbor in their North Side apartment building last year.

Walter Lee Hill, 59, pleaded guilty on Monday to second-degree intentional murder. He will get credit for having served nearly a year in jail.

Police were called to the Gateway Lofts on W. Broadway Avenue last November on a report that someone had been shot. Officers found Donald Edmondson, 60, dead on the floor of his apartment with a gunshot wound to the chest.

A video camera in the hallway showed Hill knocking on Edmondson’s door, reaching into his sweatshirt pocket and firing his gun once. Hill then left in his Lexus, which officers found near Elliot Park downtown.

They spotted Hill walking nearby, asked for his ID and arrested him when he said something to the effect that they had the right guy.

A witness told police they saw Hill shoot Edmondson, and another said there had been an ongoing dispute between the two. Two days before the murder, Hill had called police because he believed neighbors were breaking into his apartment.

In a statement, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said Edmondson “should still be alive. A violent act committed with such disregard by Mr. Hill has taken him from his family. This sentence delivers accountability and protects our community, and I hope it brings some measure of peace to Mr. Edmondson’s loved ones as they attempt to move forward with their lives.”