After nearly three decades, a 1997 cold-case homicide has culminated in a lifetime prison sentence for one Richardo Sepulveda, a 53-year-old man from Cincinnati, Ohio. The sentencing occurred in the 39th Circuit Court under Judge Michael R. Olsaver, as reported by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office. The jury convicted Sepulveda on multiple felony counts, including conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and tampering with evidence.
On a dreary November day in 1997, it was in Lenawee County where authorities located the unidentified remains of “John Doe,” an unclothed male, maimed and abandoned in a cornfield. Missing his head and hands, the body bore the marks of a brutal end, bearing saw striations indicative of a grisly dismemberment. The horrific homicide, as per the investigation, bears the hallmarks of international drug trafficking connections and a conspiracy that spanned across borders and years.
Justice’s wheels turned, grinding slow but exceedingly fine, arriving at a verdict for Richardo Sepulveda this spring, followed now by the pronouncement of his fate—incarceration for life. His co-defendant and brother, Michael Sepulveda, previously pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and received a sentence ranging from 10 to 30 years. “Every victim deserves to have their case thoroughly investigated and pursued,” said Attorney General Dana Nessel, as articulated in the Michigan AG’s statement. “Thanks to the tireless efforts of prosecutors in my office and local, state, and federal law enforcement, justice has finally been served nearly three decades after this horrific murder.”…