Sentence comes down in 20-year-old murder case
Justice delayed, but still served, in a Rock County murder case.
20-years ago, 22-year-old David Landwehr of Beloit died after being stabbed in the throat. After posting bond, the suspect, then 23-year-old Ezequiel Lopez-Zavala disappeared. A little more than a year ago, he turned up in Washington State. Fingerprints taken following a traffic stop identified him as the long lost fugitive from Wisconsin. Monday, with many members of Landwehr's family in the courtroom, a Rock county judge sentenced Lopez-Zavala on a reduced charge of manslaughter with a dangerous weapon. In Spanish, Lopez-Zavala apologized for the pain he caused to Landwehr's family, but the judge called the statement hollow, because Lopez-Zavala had been a fugitive for so long.
The judge sentenced Lopez-Zavala to the maximum fifteen years under the state statutes in effect at the time of the crime. Under those same statutes, only 25% of the sentence needs to be served before parole is possible.
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Jan 19, 2009 at 11:26 a.m.
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THIS CSE MAKES ME SICK NOT ONLY DOES HE GET A PAT ON THE BACK FOR LIVING HERE ILLEGAL AND HAVING TWO WIVES HE WILL GET A FREE TRIP BACK TO MEXICO TO SEE HIS FIRST FAMILY WHEN ITS ALL OVER AND SNEAK BACK HERE TO LIVE AGAIN ILLEGAL. THE JUSTICE SYSTEM LET DOWN THE SKILLING FAMILY AGAIN!! IM READY TO PUKE!!
Jan 12, 2009 at 7:45 p.m.
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You have to be kidding me, this guy kills someone then goes on the run for 20 years and with the eligability of parole after 25% of the sentence is served that means this guy could be out in under 4 years! He should have recieved A longer sentence than that just on the bail jumping charge after 20 years on the run alone! He got to live his life free for 20 years of his prime and now only 20 years later is he going to have to pay(if you can even call it paying) is 45 months (yup thats 25%) and he could be free again? Where is the justice in this? So when he gets out he will be A 47 year old ex-con murderer and what will he do in society then probably commit crimes against innocent people until he gets sent back only to become A future burden on society..... Just great another case of where justice clearly has failed!
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