On November 29th of 2004, 49 year old Police Constable Jose Maria Zetina killed his pregnant 18 year old common-law wife Rosa Mejia in a jealous rage. He was tried and convicted of murder in July of 2008 and was sentenced to life in prison. Today however the Court of Appeal threw out the murder conviction and replaced it with manslaughter. And now instead of life – Zetina will spend only 20 years.
That is because his attorney Simeon Sampson successfully argued to the appeals judges that the trial judge misdirected the jury on provocation. Zetina told the first police who responded to the scene that he killed his wife because he caught her with another man. That means there was some form of provocation - making the crime – as heinous as it was – manslaughter, not murder.
Zetina stabbed Mejia seven times to the head, jaw and chest. There was also a slash across the face Zetina also cut off her left arm. Zetina could be released on parole within 5 years.
