Jury finds man guilty in fatal shooting of Kenosha deputy
RACINE, Wis. (AP) – A jury found a Kenosha man guilty Friday of killing a sheriff’s deputy, rejecting his lawyer’s argument that the defendant was too drunk to form the intent to commit murder.
Ezequiel Lopez-Quintero, 45, was convicted of first-degree intentional homicide in the shooting of 48-year-old Kenosha County Deputy Frank Fabiano, Jr.
The jury deliberated a little less than three hours before reaching the guilty verdict at the end of a week-long trial. It was moved to Racine from Kenosha because of pretrial publicity.
Defense attorney Frederick Cohn argued Lopez-Quintero was so drunk that he could not have meant to kill Fabiano.
Prosecutor Robert Zapf called that defense a “bunch of bull.”
Lopez-Quintero shot Fabiano in the head after the deputy pulled over his van the night of May 16. He told an investigator that he drank tequila and used cocaine that night because he was upset about an affair he thought his wife was having.
Testimony showed Lopez-Quintero fled on foot and was arrested several hours later in a parking lot about four miles away.
Amy Fabiano, the deputy’s widow, burst into tears when the verdict was read.
She said later, as she clutched a photo of her dead husband, that justice was served and it will provide some closure for her and the couple’s 8-year-old daughter.
Lopez-Quintero faces a mandatory life prison term on the homicide charge, with the judge to decide whether he will ever be eligible for parole. A sentencing date is expected to be set Monday.
Cohn said he plans to ask for a new trial and challenge the constitutionality of the state’s mandatory life prison term for first-degree intentional homicide.
Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth described the verdict as a “shallow” victory because it can’t bring Fabiano back.
Mar 9, 2008 at 11:52 a.m.
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What is wrong with me saying this fine outstanding member of the community deserves to die for killing an officer out there protecting us?? Unbelievable!!
Mar 9, 2008 at 11:50 a.m.
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Oh come on, why was my earlier comment removed?? You gotta be kidding!! I guess this paper would rather side with the criminals then the Police.
Mar 8, 2008 at 10:38 a.m.
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oh, so the govt made him pull the trigger now. Maybe that will be in his appeal. You think like his lawyers. Real smart!!!
Mar 8, 2008 at 9:12 a.m.
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If this guy is an illegal, then USGOV shares equal responsibility for this officer's death for not keeping him out of the country.
Mar 8, 2008 at 7:47 a.m.
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This guy is an illegal immigrant and he takes away a little girl's dad. Dealth penalty is definately justified in this case. I know everybody's entitled to a fair trial but you know that we are all paying for this guy's lawyer and then they are planning an appeal. Just doesn't seem right. A least the precedent of finding him guilty the first time has been set, they need to send him back to Mexico and make him do life there.
Mar 8, 2008 at 12:55 a.m.
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Three hours deliberation...I hope the first two were spent catching up on the last couple episodes of "Lost". I'm sorry, I don't care how drunk he was. He was "aware" enough to raise a gun to an officer and pull the trigger, that's intent enough for me. Thankfully the jury came to the correct decision and gave the Fabiano family some small sliver of closure.
Mar 7, 2008 at 10:39 p.m.
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Death Penalty?
.
That's a whole 'nother discussion.
Mar 7, 2008 at 10:03 p.m.
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i too agree we should have the death penalty for cases like this. now he will spend life in prison which will probably be better than the life he lived out here and we get to pay for it. how is that fair?
Mar 7, 2008 at 9:03 p.m.
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