'We are all torn and broken': Family gives impact statements as Jerell Lindsey sentenced

GRAND HAVEN—  In a somber courtroom, Judge Karen Miedema sentenced Jerell Lindsey to beingness successful the Michigan Department of Corrections without the anticipation of parole.

“This was a wholly avoidable incident, a wholly avoidable crime,” Miedema said earlier handing down the sentence.

Lindsey was recovered blameworthy connected each counts successful April for the execution of Miguel Zamudio, a Holland begetter and husband, successful 2024. Lindsey was charged with 1 number of unfastened murder, 3 counts of battle with a unsafe weapon, and 2 counts of felony firearm. The assemblage chose to convict connected first-degree murder, which carries a mandatory condemnation of beingness successful situation without parole.

The victim's wife, sister and girl gave unfortunate interaction statements successful the courtroom Monday, May 12. Lindsey besides work his ain connection to the court.

“They nary longer person his lukewarm clasp oregon his hairsbreadth successful their faces," Katrina Zamudio said of her family. "They don’t person the infectious laughter that carried truthful overmuch weight, to find yourself laughing on with them from the different room, unaware of what was comic to adjacent statesman with. They tin lone present clasp this acold bargain entity carrying the remains of idiosyncratic loved truthful dearly."

Throughout the four-day trial, aggregate witnesses testified astir what they saw Saturday, April 13, 2024, connected W. 19th Street successful Holland. Katrina testified Lindsey approached the mates and their 14-year-old lad successful the driveway of Miguel’s parents' location and told them to get escaped of their dog. Their lad took the canine inside.

Katrina testified that, erstwhile Miguel started to spell inside, Lindsey changeable him successful the head. Miguel's household besides testified astir their frantic efforts to some prevention him and support 1 another.

“There was galore things taken from america past April, but our memories volition ne'er beryllium 1 of them,” Katrina said Monday.

Lindsey and his girlfriend, Rita Freeman, testified astir an hours-long argument successful which they some threatened suicide, culminating successful Lindsey walking astir the 19th Street vicinity with aggregate firearms.

Officers located Lindsey wrong an adjacent, occupied location aft the shooting, wherever a nonmigratory and person of the victim's household hid successful the bath for hours. Lindsey was yet taken into custody, past made claims of a weaponry and different explosives successful the residence. Those claims were false.

Lindsey said helium accidentally discharged the shotgun that killed Miguel.

“May deity person mercy connected your soul,” said Angela Zamudio, the victim’s sister, arsenic she faced Lindsey. “You took the large antheral from our family, the 1 who protected america all, the 1 who got america together.  … We are each torn and broken.”

Angela said her begetter can't carnivore to unrecorded successful the Holland location helium worked hard to gain due to the fact that helium re-lives the events that near his lad dead.

“It's a nightmare to spell to my parents' house, to the location we erstwhile each called home," she said.

The victim’s daughter, Alexis, shared however losing her begetter has profoundly impacted her last twelvemonth of precocious schoolhouse and the remainder of her life.

“People often archer maine however overmuch I’m similar him and I deterioration that examination similar a badge of honor,” Alexis said. “We had the aforesaid consciousness of humor, the aforesaid sprit and helium understood maine successful ways that nary 1 other could. When beingness got hard, helium was my comfort.”

Since the decease of her father, Alexis has struggled to be school, interact with friends and beryllium the societal butterfly she erstwhile was.

“Please bash not fto this antheral locomotion escaped portion I indispensable transportation the symptom for the remainder of my life,” Alexis said. “He didn’t conscionable bargain my dad’s life, but shattered excavation and the lives of everyone who loved my dad.”

Lindsey addressed the courtroom earlier proceeding his sentence, saying helium volition ne'er beryllium worthy of forgiveness and that to inquire for it would beryllium selfish.

“I cognize successful my bosom that helium was a large man. I privation I could commercialized places still,” Lindsey said. “None of you merit immoderate of these events that took place.

“I blasted maine and lone maine for what has occurred, and I hatred myself that overmuch much for creating specified tragic lawsuit successful everyone’s life.”

— Cassidey Kavathas is the authorities and tribunal newsman astatine The Holland Sentinel. Contact her astatine ckavathas@hollandsentinel.com. Follow her connected Twitter @cassideykava. 

This nonfiction primitively appeared connected The Holland Sentinel: Lindsey sentenced to beingness without parole successful execution of Holland father