Mia Zapata’s killer gets 36 year sentence:
The sentence was 10 years longer than the standard maximum for felony murder.
After playing a film paying homage to Zapata, King County Deputy Prosecutor Tim Bradshaw argued that Mezquia deserved a longer sentence than the standard.
He said Zapata’s death was painful, cruel and violent.
“The state thinks that Mia was an exceptional person and the crime was exceptional,” Bradshaw said.
Then, in an unusual move, he called for a show of hands from those in the packed courtroom who supported the longer sentence.
Most of the spectators raised their hands.
In meting out the punishment, Armstrong said she found a legal basis for the longer sentence in the physical evidence presented at trial. Zapata suffered numerous rips, tears and internal injuries that went beyond those found in a typical rape and murder, Armstrong said.
It seems appropriate to close this post with a link to Home Alive. The Seattle-based organization, formed in response to Mia’s death, teachs self-defense and does anti-violence public education programs. There’s a second compilation album to benefit Home Alive available at cdbaby.