Reject victim status, says man who sold gun to Trolley shooter

The man convicted of selling a gun to Trolley Square killer Sulejman Talovic is rejecting claims from the parents of one of the shooting victims.

Mackenzie Hunter's attorney filed a motion in federal court on Monday, supporting a judge's ruling that determined Vanessa Quinn was not a crime victim in his case.

"Vanessa Quinn was a victim of a tragic and heinous crime that had no direct or proximate connection with Mr. Hunter's crime of providing a firearm to a minor, Sulejman Talovic, eight months earlier," Hunter's lawyer David Finlayson wrote.

"There has never been any evidence provided, statement made or argument by the United States that could lead to a finding that Mr. Hunter could have foreseen the actions of Talovic at Trolley Square."

Quinn's parents, Ken and Sue Antrobus, sought to have her recognized as a crime victim so they could speak at the upcoming sentencing and seek restitution for her death. However, U.S. District Judge Dale Kimball denied their request last week, saying there was no evidence that Hunter knew what Talovic was going to do with the gun.

Hunter, 20, pleaded guilty to selling the 18-year-old Talovic the .38 Special that was used to kill Quinn during the rampage. Talovic killed five people and wounded four others in the Feb. 12 shooting rampage before being killed in a shootout with police.

Hunter is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 14, and the Antrobuses pleaded with the judge to have a say in what sentence he would receive — recommending a 99-month prison term.

The Antrobuses attorney has said they expect to appeal the judge's decision to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

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