Today, the jury in the Angie Zapata murder trial delivered guilty verdicts on all charges.
"Hearing 'guilty on first-degree murder' and 'guilty of bias-motivated crime' was a hugely emotional experience for all the family, friends and the supporters of Angie," Barton added.
Considering that the defense was trying to recycle a "blame the victim" strategy, it is a major relief to see the jury toss that evil little strategy onto the midden heap.
Andrade admitted killing Zapata, but his defense argued that he acted in the heat of passion after discovering that Zapata was biologically male. The defense asked for a lesser verdict, such as second-degree murder or manslaughter.
Throughout the trial, prosecutors referred to Zapata as "she," while the defense referred to the transgender teen as "he."
"When [Andrade] met him, he met him as 'Angie,' " defense attorney Annette Kundelius argued on Wednesday. "When he found out it wasn't 'Angie,' that it was 'Justin,' he lost control."
But the jury rejected the argument, deciding in favor of prosecutors, who argued that Andrade knew Zapata was biologically male and that knowledge motivated the crime.
"This was an ambush attack," said Chief Deputy District Attorney Robb Miller. "This was an all-out blitz."
Zapata was "born in a boy's body but living as a female," added Miller. "Ultimately, she was murdered because of it."
To the jury: Thank you for seeing through the defense and convicting Andrade for the evil crimes he committed.
To the prosecution: Thank you for treating the victim with dignity, and respecting her memory. Above all, thank you for pursuing this case to its just end.
1 comment:
As a resident of Colorado I am thankful that the jury in Greeley was able to come to the only reasonable verdict in this case. The tragedy was that a beautiful, young woman lost her life at the hands of such a monster. When people open their hearts to those different from themselves we may all be in a better place.
Post a Comment