Blaine Man Accused Of Straw Purchasing Guns Used In Murders Of Trinity Ottoson-Smith, Aniya Allen

Blaine Man Accused Of Straw Purchasing Guns Used In Murders Of Trinity Ottoson-Smith, Aniya Allen

A man has been federally charged with straw purchasing dozens of firearms, including the ones used in the killings of 9-year-old Trinity Ottoson-Smith and 6-year-old Aniya Allen.

William Earl Burton faces one count of conspiracy to make false statements in the purchasing of a firearm, one count of making false statements during the purchase and one count of destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in a federal investigation. The federal documents were filed on May 2, and he was arrested on May 19.

Court records show he pleaded not guilty to the charges and is expected back in court on July 11.

According to a federal complaint, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives began investigating Burton in 2020 after learning that one or more firearms he had recently purchased had been recovered by police shortly after he purchased them. The complaint notes that Burton is currently on probation for aggravated robbery, meaning he can’t currently have firearms or ammunition.

Courtesy of Sherburne County Jail

While investigating Burton, law enforcement learned he had either bought or tried to buy at least 43 firearms in a nine-month period between November 2019 and August 2020. By late September, five guns had already been recovered by police after being associated with criminal activity, court documents state. By April 2024, 17 of the firearms he purchased had been recovered by police.

In each purchase, Burton signed paperwork certifying that he was the actual purchaser of each firearm. Authorities also noted that a person must be 21 or older to buy a firearm and that Burton turned 21 in October 2019, meaning he purchased 41 firearms during his first year of eligibility.

6-year-old Aniya Allen

In November 2020, federal agents executed a search warrant on Burton’s home in Blaine. He told investigators that he sold most of his firearms online.

Investigators also found messages on Burton’s social media referencing gun sales.

The federal complaint outlines seven shootings in which the gun used was purchased by Burton, including the shootings that killed Ottoson-Smith and Allen.

On Oct. 11, 2021, Eagan police conducted a traffic stop related to a report of shoplifting. While searching the vehicle, officers found a 9mm firearm that had been purchased by Burton on May 28, 2020.

Investigators determined that the firearm had been used in the May 15, 2021, shooting of Trinity Ottoson-Smith. Trinity had been playing on a trampoline when she was shot in the head. She died two weeks later.

In 2023, D’Pree Robinson was sentenced to over 37 years in prison for Trinity’s murder.

In March 2024, Minneapolis police were called to the 4th Street Saloon and told that somebody inside had a gun. They found three firearms in the trash behind the bar, one of which was purchased by Burton four years prior.

Authorities note that this gun was used in 10 different shootings, including the murder of Aniya Allen.

Aniya was killed by a stray bullet on May 18, 2021, while sitting in the back of her mother’s vehicle near the intersection of 36th and Penn avenues in north Minneapolis. Her killer has still not been found.

“There’s a peace inside of me to know that person is in jail, and can not distribute more guns to other criminals,” said KG Wilson, Aniya’s grandfather.

While it’s not an arrest in Aniya’s case, Wilson is thankful for the new development.

“God is still working on this case, God still has people, investigators working this case, and they haven’t given up, that makes me feel so good, it hasn’t turned cold, and they are still working this case,” he added.

If you know anything about Aniya’s shooting, call Crime Stoppers of Minnesota at 800-222-8477 or submit an anonymous tip online.

SOURCE: abc KSTP.COM