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Charges dismissed for Minnesota man accused of murder in Manitowoc county

Posted at 9:58 AM, May 27, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-27 11:55:16-04

Charges have been dismissed for a Minnesota man accused of murder in Manitowoc county.

 

Quinn Smith was accused of killing 52-year-old Kor Yang in February 2016.

           

Manitowoc police said they’re still searching for the second suspect in the murder they want to question.

 

"We have two suspects in that incident,” said Captain Larry Zimney of the Manitowoc Police Department.  “The other one is Joe Vang. Joe is still at large and has never been captured to this point."

 

Officers said a person came to Kor Yang's door in the early morning of February 5, 2016.  The person shot him twice killing him.

 

Investigators found a hand gun and claimed Quinn smith's DNA was on it.  Quinn Smith was then charged with the homicide, but was later released in September on bond modification.

 

The district attorney said they made the decision to dismiss the charges based on their ability to convict at this time.

 

"At that point we felt that we could not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt so ethically we had to file a motion to dismiss,” said Manitowoc County District Attorney Jacalyn Labre.  “We did ask for the ability to re-issue because the police department is still going to continue an investigation and the DA's office will continue to work on the case as well."

 

Zimney said the investigation still continues.

 

“Our detectives are following up on all the different leads that come in building a stronger case against both Mr. Smith and Mr. Vang who continue to be our two prime suspects," said Zimney.

 

The DA says prosecutors can re-issue charges at any time against Smith if they find more evidence against him.

 

Labre said the motion was filed after reviewing the case with the police department and as well as consultation with the victim's family. 

 

Smith's attorney was contacted for comment, but did not reply by the time the story aired.