Chisago City man convicted of murder after he claimed hunting accident as defense

Jurors in east-central Minnesota found a man guilty of murder after he claimed the victim's shooting death was from a hunting accident.

John T. Quitter, 37, of Chisago City, was convicted in Pine County District Court of second-degree murder and fleeing police in connection with the shooting on Sept. 6 near Hinckley that killed Colton J. Abbott, 33, of Sandstone, Minn.

Quitter remains jailed pending sentencing, which is scheduled for June 13.

According to the charges:

Essentia Health hospital in Sandstone called emergency dispatch after Abbott arrived there in his pickup truck driven by Quitter. Abbott "had numerous bullet holes to his chest that appeared to be caused by birdshot from a shotgun," the complaint read. Abbott died at the hospital.

The complaint said Abbott "had over 250 BB wounds with a large concentration of them centered on the left side of his chest."

Quitter gave hospital staff a note with his name, "Lake Alma Road" and "Dick Berglund property" written on it. He said there had been "a coon hunting accident," according to the charges.

A woman told law enforcement she went to Quitter's trailer on the Berglund property on Lake Alma Road with Abbott, who was her boyfriend, to retrieve some of her possessions. She said she had dated Quitter a long time ago.

She said that after entering the trailer to meet Quitter, Abbott approached the residence, started yelling and broke a window. She said she heard a gunshot, ran to Abbott's pickup and found him unresponsive.

Quitter was arrested that afternoon northeast of Sandstone after leading officers on a high-speed chase in Abbott's pickup.

Quitter provided multiple versions of how the shooting occurred, but each time admitted that they didn't sense. "He denied shooting [Abbott] but also stated that he did shoot him but not intentionally," the complaint read.