Rio Linda Ax Murderer Sentenced To 16 Years To Life In Prison

RIO LINDA (CBS13) – A Rio Linda man convicted of killing another man with an ax in a grisly case of mistaken identity was sentenced 16 years to life in prison on Friday.

Steven Zinda did apologize to David Valdez’s family in court, but they say it comes much too late. Even the judge told Zinda what he did was horrific, brutal and savage and called him a danger to the community.

“Zinda did not just hurt one person, he hurt my family, my friends and me,” Valdez’s sister said in court. “My brother was murdered like he was in a horror movie.”

There were emotional, tearful statements from Valdez’s sister and mother in court about how their lives have never been the same since David’s gruesome death.

“I’ve had nightmares of me running alongside my brother and seeing him being chopped,” his sister said.

Authorities say Zinda mistakenly believed Valdez burglarized his Rio Linda home back in March 2011. They say Zinda chased Valdez down the street and bashed his face in with an ax.

Ax Murderer SentencedIt turned out Valdez was in the neighborhood attending a party and his car got stuck in a ditch.

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