Judge Norman Yackel guaranteed Chai Soua Vang, a Hmong immigrant convicted of murdering six deer hunters and of attempting to murder two others, would never be free again after the court announced Vang's sentence of six life prison terms Tuesday.
Vang drew national attention after a dispute over whether Vang was trespassing ended in gunfire in the Wisconsin Northwoods. Hunters who survived the gunfire claimed Vang shot them after they accused him of illegally using in a tree stand on private land. Vang maintained he shot the hunters in self-defense after being targeted with racial slurs.
A 37-year-old truck driver from St. Paul, Minn., Vang faced six counts of first-degree intentional homicide'each of which carried a mandatory sentence of life in prison'and three counts of attempted homicide for the Nov. 21, 2004 incident. Vang was found guilty of all charges pending against him, with each attempted murder charge garnering an additional 40 years in prison.
'There is no punishment that Chai Vang can ever receive that will justify what he has taken away,' said Bruce Crotteau, a brother of one of the murdered hunters and the uncle of another.
Vang said it was the best day of his life, as he would no longer be responsible for things such as child support.
'I wish I can change things, but I cannot,' he said.
