Idaho man convicted in 1995 killing gets life sentence
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Associated Press
BURLEY (AP) — A south-central Idaho man convicted in the 1995 killing of a 14-year-old girl has been sentenced to life in prison.
Gilberto Flores Rodriguez, 59, received the sentence Friday in Fifth District Court.
A jury previously convicted Rodriguez of killing Regina “Gina” Krieger. She disappeared from her basement bedroom in 1995, and her body was found two months later on the banks of the Snake River. Authorities said her throat had been slashed and she had been stabbed in the heart.
Rodriguez denied killing Krieger.
“I take responsibility for what I do, but I didn’t do this,” Rodriguez said.
Attorney Keith Roark said he will appeal the conviction because DNA evidence in the case doesn’t match Rodriguez, and the conviction was based on lies told to the jury.
“Justice is not a concept that applies to some people and not others,” Roark said.
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Krieger’s mother, Rhonda Hunnel, testified at the sentencing hearing.
“In February 1995, you took something I cherish — a piece of my heart,” Hunnel said. “My daughter’s spirit surrounds me daily.”
Rodriguez was charged with the murder in 1995 after several witnesses came forward, including one who said Rodriquez forced him to help dump Krieger’s body in the Snake River.