The West Central Tribune, and others, has reported that a former professional wrestler has been found guilty of a dozen charges of criminal sexual conduct that occurred over a 12-year span and involved a female family member.
E.Z., 62, fled the Kandiyohi County District Court after the verdicts were read, and was quickly recaptured by the court's security officers.
The district judge will be analyzing all of the facts of the case before handing down the sentence.
E.Z. was found guilty of six first-degree and six third-degree sexual conduct counts. The trial began on February 26; the jury took four hours to deliberate.
Along with the 12 counts E.Z. now faces a pending count of escape from custody, a felony. He will now be held in police custody until his sentencing.
District Judge David Mennis hear arguments pertaining to the exact cruelty of the sexual abuse, E.Z.'s sexual crime history and his sex offender pattern. Judge Mennis is set to rule before E.Z's May 7 sentencing on the matter of enacting a longer sentence than state guidelines suggest, as requested by the prosecution.
Kandiyohi County Attorney Shane Baker said, "We envision that the judge will impose a significant period of time (in the prison sentence). Some of the aggravating factors could double the prison time and the judge can also order that the terms be run consecutively as opposed to concurrently."
A consecutive sentence requires the convicted party serve each sentence one at a time, so that when one sentence ends he/she immediately starts serving the other. A concurrent sentence allows the convicted party to serve more than one sentence at a time.
The maximum penalty for first-degree criminal conduct, according to the criminal complaint, is a 30-year prison term and/or a fine of $40,000.
E.Z. waived his right to have a jury hear the aggravating factors and opted for the judge to rule on that part of the case. Two prior convictions for criminal sexual conduct, in 1986 and 1989, were admitted into evidence.
A.Z. told the court, prompted by questions from his attorney Carter Greiner, that he upheld his earlier testimony and denied all allegations made against him. He again claimed that he did not have sexual conduct with his female accuser.
The victim, not identified in court records, claimed that E.Z. sexually abused her for 12 years. After seeking therapy and medical care in 2012, she had stepped forward to charge her attacker.
During her testimony she explained that she believed in God and planned on not having sex until she was married. She also told the court about the injuries she sustained due to the sexual abuse.
The victim was 15 years old when A.Z. started abusing her in 1999.
Baker commented, "We are very happy with the strength she showed. It is never easy to open up and testify."
Accused of a crime? Contact a criminal defense attorney right away! Don't enter a plea or accept a plea bargain until you have had time to discuss your case with your attorney.
