After three trials, a former Baltimore Police officer will spend the rest of his life behind bars for the murder of his former mistress 32 years ago.
Baltimore County Circuit Court Judge Keith Truffer sentenced Sergeant James A. Kulbicki, 68, to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the death of Gina Nueslein. Though Kulbicki had previously been convicted twice, he was convicted again by a jury of first-degree murder, according to FOX 45 News.
According to prosecutors, in 1993, the defendant shot his young mistress to death and dumped Nueslein’s body in a state park. At the time, Kulbicki and the victim had a child together. A few days before Nueslein was due in court to petition for a paternity test and sue the defendant for child support, she met her demise.
Despite the conviction, Kulbicki claimed he had an incompetent attorney who failed to strike out the faulty scientific evidence called comparative bullet analysis. Furthermore, Kulbicki’s defense team highlighted that the Maryland State’s ballistics examiner had lied about his credentials.
"I've said since the beginning that I was innocent of the crime, and I still maintain my innocence. I feel that, if I get another trial, I will be able to prove myself innocent," said Kulbicki reported CBS News.
As a result, the defendant was granted a new trial, and prosecutors worried that witnesses might exhibit memory lapses since the case happened a long time ago. Nevertheless, the third jury didn’t buy the defense’s argument.
Nueslein’s uncle and godfather, Victor Gearhart, was present at all the trials. Gearhart is also a retired Baltimore police officer who served for over thirty years.
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