A Michigan man will spend the rest of his life in prison after running down and killing a woman in a Walmart parking lot.
Kalamazoo County Circuit Court Judge Pamela Lightvoet sentenced Xuan Thanh Vo to life in prison for the death of 65-year-old Sandra Villarreal. Vo was convicted of first-degree murder after he told police officers he made a conscious choice to kill a stranger because he was angry with his girlfriend.
“Society needs to be protected from you. To run somebody over and then have them fly in the air, then you run over them again—it’s just really unfathomable,” said Lightvoet during the sentencing hearing, reported WOOD-TV.
On Aug. 9, 2022, 40-year-old Vo violently ran over Villarreal with his sedan in the Oshtemo Township Walmart parking lot. According to prosecutors, the defendant admitted to investigators he woke up that fateful day angry, feeling lonely, and missed his girlfriend. Hence, Vo decided to weaponize his car and kill a stranger by running them over. As a result, the defendant chose the Walmart parking lot because it was empty and would provide ample space for him to accelerate. Next, Vo was waiting for someone walking by themselves when he spotted the victim and accelerated towards her. At first, he missed the victim before making a second attempt, striking Villarreal and running over her twice.
Officers arrested the defendant minutes after the incident. Despite life-saving measures by first responders and Villarreal rushed to a nearby hospital, the victim succumbed to her injuries.
During the victim impact statement, Villarreal's granddaughter, Ree Adams, expressed her disappointment at the defendant's lack of remorse.
"I haven't heard your voice, seen any facial expressions, or seen any eye contact," said Adams, according to News Channel.
Vo was asked if he had anything to say to Villarreal’s family, but he declined.
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