Tweet
From The GLBT Center of Colorado (Denver, Colorado):
GREELEY – Allen Andrade has been sentenced to life plus 60 years for all counts related to murder of Angie Zapata.Judge Marcelo Kopcow on Friday sentenced Andrade, 32, to the maximum 60 consecutive years for the additional charges in the Zapata murder case.
On April 23, a Weld County jury found Andrade guilty of first-degree murder and a hate crime in the killing of Angie Zapata, an 18-year-old transgender woman from Greeley. At that time, he was sentenced to life without parole.
Because Andrade was a habitual offender with prior felony convictions, the law requires him to be given four times the maximum sentence for the three other convictions related to the Zapata case: a bias-motivated crime, identity theft and aggravated motor vehicle theft.
Andrade on Friday received 12 years for the hate crime conviction, 24 years for the motor vehicle theft and 24 years for the identity theft.
“I’ve observed this trial in its entirety and the tragedy inflicted on the Zapata family has been horrendous,” said Mindy Barton, legal director for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Colorado. “The court, by giving the maximum sentence served consecutively, shows the heinous nature of the crime.”
Justice for Angie and her family is Allen Ray Andrade spending the rest of his natural life in prison. Justice for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community — especially the transgender community — was seeing him convicted of committing a hate crime under Colorado’s Bias Motivated Crime statute, and is having Allen Ray Andrade getting sentenced to the maximum sentence for his bias motivated crime.
All these things have now happened in relationship to Andrade’s crime; we now have Justice For Angie, Justice For Angie’s Family, Justice For The LGBT Community, and Justice For The Transgender Community.
14 Comments
That is sweet.I was under the impression that they weren’t going to bother with the habitual offender business if they got the first degree murder conviction. Good for them.
What do you bet he gets married in prison to one of his girlfriends? If he does, can we recommend Maggie take him on as a NOM spokesperson?
Justice was served.But as an attorney once reminded me, the law never makes us whole. I am glad for this sentencing for all the reasons you mention, Autumn. And it provides some measure of justice for all of our brothers and sister who have been denied justice in the past. But because Angie will never come back, even though justice has been served, we will never be whole. I hope at least that Angie’s family can find some peace in knowing that Andrade was held maximally accountable.
the maxI am satisfied he got the max. Good work Autumn and PHB in reporting this all the way.
Gee…and today I almost picked up a copy of Richard Pryor Live on the Sunset Strip.
Some of you will recall his explanation of what it means to be sentenced to two life terms…
[Paraphrasing of course] When you die – and come back – they’ll be waiting right there for you saying, ‘We know what you did last time! Back to prison you go!’
And to think…
We’ve lost Richard Pryor, but we still have Allen Andrade.
Oh well – at least its the Colorado prison system that actually has him…
and hopefully will for 60 more years once he dies and comes back.
TDORThank you for reporting this, Autumn. On November 20, when we read Angie’s name and how she was murdered, we can also read the sentence that Allen Andrade received for killing her We will have a tear and a smile, all at the same time.
Well done ColoradoIt’s been a long time since the days of Amendment 2.
Thanks Autumn, GOOD NEWS. … I’d hate to go up against that judge. Glad he was on the side of right.
How would he like a job as a special prosecutor????
Better Yet, Attorney General, I think this wonderful judge would be 100% better the Eric Holder.
Hopefully in 2010, We will have Marriage Equality here in Colorado. We have every other LGBT laws and policies possible. I know overturning our Hate Amendment is in the works and hopefully we will be gathering signatures soon.
The joy of having Colorado 100% for LGBT Equality will be wonderful. And as a bonus watching the heads exploding in Colorado Springs.
Because Angie will never come backI guess I didn’t realize how emotionally invested I had become in the trial, and just the whole case in general.
Last night I was out to dinner with my partner and another lesbian couple. During the conversation, the topic came up of whether Colorado was LGBT friendly. My partner told the other couple about what the DA had told Autumn in the final press conference, about him wanting Greeley to be a welcoming place for everyone. Still, I had to rush off to the ladies room and cry for a bit – for Angie. Because for all the positive things that happened, it still doesn’t bring her back, and it didn’t have to happen in the first place.
Do you really think…that NOM is going to survive long enough for that to be possible? I can hear their death rattle all the way from England!
I agree.My eyes are tearing as I write this, this morning. This was the best outcome we could hope for from what happened to Angie, but it’s still a bittersweet outcome.
It’s the best outcome given the circumstances of Angie’s murder, but this outcome won’t bring Angie back; it won’t make her family or her community whole.
I had to just stop a secondAnd think about what that means. Justice. How often do we get to speak of justice instead of injustice which we have all grown so accustomed to? This is a moment, I think, for quiet reflection on ourselves. Wow.
I had neverheard of this case until I came across the blends blog. I read and I received a first class education(from here and TransGriot) on what had been happening and it makes me happy to see for once justice was served. But I am also very sad that Allen took Angie’s life all possibilities of what she would become gone because of his hatred.