A Ramsey County jury has acquitted a St. Paul man of murdering his girlfriend’s estranged husband. Jurors deliberated more than 15 hours over three days before finding James Edward Hagen not guilty of second-degree murder Tuesday in the July 1 fatal shooting of 35-year-old Jonathan Diaz in the Payne-Phalen area. The jury convicted Hagen, 33, of possessing a firearm as a felon, a charge that was added to the case in September after prosecutors say DNA linked Hagen to the murder weapon found at the scene. Hagen remains jailed ahead of his March 17 sentencing. His attorney did not respond to messages left Wednesday seeking comment on the trial and verdict. Ramsey County Attorney’s Office spokesman Dennis Gerhardstein said in a statement that, “While we are disappointed in the outcome, we respect the jury’s verdict in this case.” According to the criminal complaint, Diaz’s estranged wife accused Diaz of shooting Hagen, who was her new boyfriend, in his legs out of jealousy in August 2023. Hagen told police he was outside his home on York Avenue off Arcade Street when someone came up and shot him. He said he didn’t know who the shooter was or why anyone would shoot him. Diaz was arrested and interviewed, but not charged “because the case could not be proved against him beyond a reasonable doubt due to the spousal privilege and a lack of cooperation from Hagen,” the complaint says. Police officers who responded to Hagen’s home on a shooting just before 8:30 p.m. July 1 found Diaz’s estranged wife giving Diaz CPR near a detached garage. He was pronounced dead at the scene; he’d been shot six times. His estranged wife said they had been separated for four years and she’d been dating Hagen for three years. Witnesses told police Hagen was the shooter and he left on a small bicycle before abandoning it and running away, the complaint says. Witnesses also said a white Cadillac circled the area after the shooting. Police spoke to Diaz’s estranged wife’s 13-year-old daughter, who said she and her mother were in the kitchen when they heard the shooting and ran outside. Her mother ran toward Diaz and Hagen yelled, “I told you I was going to kill him!” the complaint says of what the girl told police. Diaz’s estranged wife told investigators that she did not see Hagen outside when she found Diaz on the ground. Related Articles Crime & Public Safety | Names of 250-plus MN undercover officers wrongfully released, association says in lawsuit Crime & Public Safety | Bremer Bank exec charged with felony swindle in sale of Duck Donuts stores Crime & Public Safety | Feds get fourth guilty plea in smuggling ring that mailed fentanyl in stuffed animals Crime & Public Safety | Charges: Man grabbed hold of a St. Paul officer’s gun in jail’s sally port during his first of two tries to escape custody Tuesday Crime & Public Safety | After juror bribe attempt, judge tightens security at second Feeding Our Future trial She said Diaz would drive by the York Avenue address to see his child. Hagen found out he’d driven by earlier Monday, and she and Hagen argued about it, the complaint says. She said Hagen left. Police arrested Hagen a day after the shooting, and he declined to speak with investigators. The complaint says the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension found Hagen’s DNA on the grip of the Taurus 9mm handgun that was recovered in his garage and fired the bullets that killed Diaz. Court records show Hagen’s prior felony convictions include fifth-degree drug possession in Washington County in 2015 and 2022, mail theft in Washington County in 2018 and possessing a firearm as a felon in St. Croix County (Wis.) in 2021.