RACINE â A man in a rage over his ex-girlfriend seeing someone new will spend the rest of his life in prison for the shooting death of his rival.
Troy Hoffman, 41, of New Berlin, was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of Chad Bickler, who was 42 years old at the time of his death.
Hoffman pleaded no contest to first-degree intentional homicide in February as part of a negotiated settlement with the Racine County District Attorneyâs Office.
The additional charges of attempted first-degree intentional homicide and mistreatment of an animal â for the shooting death of Tucker, a dog on the property â were dropped but previously read into the record.
RACINE â A jury has determined a man who shot and killed someone to defend his brother is not guilty of first-degree intentional homicide.
Instead, Edward Sanders, 31, was found guilty of the lesser included charge of reckless homicide in the shooting death of Guillermo Martinez, who was 23 years old.
The jury determined the defendant was not guilty of the two additional charges of reckless endangerment.
A sentencing hearing was set for April 6 at 10:30 a.m.
Security at the courthouse on Thursday was tight as emotions between the families of Sanders and Martinez reached a boiling point that erupted into screaming in the lobby of the Racine County Courthouse and on the front steps.