A Syracuse, New York, man wanted on a murder warrant was arrested in Saint Paul and is being held for extradition, according to a criminal complaint.
Troy Boatwright, 22, faces a felony fugitive-from-justice charge in Ramsey County District Court. The New York warrant charges him with second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
According to the complaint, officers arrested Boatwright at 2:20 p.m. on August 5 on the fugitive warrant, which a Syracuse judge issued July 15. He was booked into the Ramsey County Jail at 3:05 p.m. and is being held on the New York warrant only.
READ MORE → Ramsey County coverage
The City of Syracuse confirmed it will extradite Boatwright, and prosecutors said an application will be made to New York’s executive authority for a requisition warrant seeking his return to that state. A judge ordered him detained pending further proceedings.
The Minnesota complaint does not detail the Syracuse case. Syracuse police have said Boatwright is accused of killing 24-year-old Tazelic Pringle of Liverpool, New York, who was found with a gunshot wound to the head on the 500 block of Wolf Street on May 7 and later died at a hospital, according to local news reports.
The fugitive charge was filed Friday, August 7, in Ramsey County District Court.
About This Charge
A fugitive-from-justice charge is not an allegation that someone committed a crime in Minnesota. It is the mechanism Minnesota courts use to hold a person wanted by another state until that state can take custody. The state seeking the person applies to its own governor for a requisition, and Minnesota’s governor may then issue a warrant authorizing the transfer. A defendant can waive extradition and agree to return, or contest it, in which case a Minnesota judge weighs only whether the paperwork is in order and whether the person in custody is the person named in the warrant, not whether they are guilty. The murder and weapons charges in this case would be tried in New York under New York law.
Related MN CRIME Coverage
Saint Paul Man Charged in Fatal After-Party Shooting • Saint Paul Man Charged in 2022 Bar Shooting Death • 40 to 50 Gunshots Fired in Fatal Saint Paul Bar Shooting
Jurisdictional Context
Ramsey County encompasses Saint Paul and is served by the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office. Felony cases are heard in the Second Judicial District at the Ramsey County Courthouse in downtown Saint Paul; the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office operates the Ramsey County Correctional Facility in Maplewood.
