Allen J. Andrade, the man convicted to
life in prison last month for the murder of Angie Zapata, an
18-year-old transgender woman from Greeley, Colorado, received an
additional 60 years in prison Friday.
Andrade received the additional time
after prosecutors proved he was a habitual criminal, a designation
that carries a harsher sentence.
On April 22, a jury rejected Andrade's
trans-panic defense.
Andrade confessed to killing Zapata,
formerly known as Justin Zapata, in a fit of rage when he confronted
her about her sexuality after the pair met on the Internet. He beat
her first with his fists and then with a fire extinguisher and beat
her a second time when he realized she wasn't quite dead, police
allege.
Defense lawyers gambled with a
trans-panic defense to win a more lenient sentence, saying Andrade
killed Zapata because he'd been “deceived.”
Police arrested Andrade on July 30
sitting inside Zapata's stolen car.
Andrade was found guilty of
first-degree murder, bias-motivated crime, aggravated motor vehicle
theft in the first degree and identity theft.
Transgender rights advocates who had
rallied around the Zapata trial hailed the verdict.