Calling the killings of six northern Wisconsin deer hunters “an unspeakably brutal” act, a judge sentenced Chai Soua Vang of St. Paul, Mn., to life in prison with no hope of release. Vang, a 37-year-old Hmong immigrant and truck driver, was convicted of killing the hunters last November after a confrontation over trespassing and Vang’s use of a deer stand on private property. The victims’ families pleaded with Judge Norman Yackel to impose the most severe penalty possible to keep Vang from ever returning to the woods.
Vang “has not shown any evidence of true regret or remorse,” the judge said. He said Vang’s “explosive temper” justifies keeping him behind bars for the rest of his life to protect the public. “There is every reason to believe the defendant’s violent nature is a time bomb waiting to go off at a moment’s notice,” Yackel said. “This character trait is not likely to change over time.” Wisconsin Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager, who took the lead role in prosecuting the case, said afterward, “You can never take away a day of crime. You can never make it better.” She added, “hopefully, a little bit of justice has been done today.”