“On Sept. 7, 2020, my dad died and so did you. Your life ended the moment you shot and killed my dad as living is more than an existence, living is growing and changing, it's defined as being alive,” said Adelina Herrera.
Sitting in shackles in front of a courtroom full of the family, friends and coworkers of Mario Herrera, Felipe Vazquez learned that he will be spending decades behind bars after being convicted of First Degree Murder and six other charges for the killing of the Lincoln Police Investigator.
“By my calculations, Mr. Vazquez you must serve a total of 71 years minus any time served towards parole eligibility, your sentence to life imprisonment must be commuted to a term of years for mandatory discharge,” said Judge Andrew Jacobsen during Vazquez’s sentencing.
Before he was sentenced Vazquez pled to Herrera’s family asking for forgiveness.
It was the first time he had addressed the family since the trial began but just a short time later one of Mario’s daughters read an emotional statement to the courtroom sharing the pain of losing her father and let Vazquez know that he wouldn’t find any forgiveness from the family.
“You took away somebody from them, every single person in this courtroom and you deserve everything you get. You were a coward at that time and you still are and you always will be,” said Adelina Herrera.
After Vazquez was led away to start his sentence, the Herrera family reflected on the ordeal of the trial and how their perception of Vazquez changed as more testimony was heard.
“We kind of felt sorry for him, but day after day when we heard more testimony of what he was like, it quickly went away,” said Carrie Herrera.
Vazquez will serve the first two years of his sentence at a facility in Omaha before he will be transferred to Tecumseh State Prison to serve out the rest of his time. Vazquez will not be eligible for parole until 2093 when he will be nearly 90-years-old.
“So while I celebrate another year of my life, while I grow up and graduate college, when I get married someday and have kids of my own, and when I get to be too old to barely move you will be sitting in a cell, still that 17-year-old kid who killed my dad,” said Adelina.