Zumberge Gets Life In Prison, Says Neighbor 'Didn't Deserve To Die'
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The New Brighton man who murdered his neighbor was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Last month, a jury found Neal Zumberge guilty in the May 2014 shooting death of Todd Stevens.
The two had a long-running dispute over feeding deer. Zumberge also injured Stevens' girlfriend, Jennifer Cleven, in the shooting.
As part of the sentencing, Zumberge also had to pay $8,400 in restitution.
Before the judge handed down the sentence, in a rare move, Zumberge said he wanted to fire his attorney, Bill Orth.
He said his attorney's cancer treatments prevented him from being effective and he asked for guidance on getting new council.
The judge said that's an issue Zumberge would have to address later since he didn't file a motion in the 15-day timeframe after the trial to address that matter.
Zumberge agreed to allow Orth to continue representing him for Wednesday's proceedings.
Meanwhile, during sentencing, Zumberge read a statement that said, in part:
"I want Todd's family to know how deeply sorry I am for the pain I've caused them. If I could trade places with Todd, I would."
He went on to say: "I'm sorry. Todd didn't deserve to die."
Zumberge also described himself and the victim as "two pigheaded guys who didn't want to get in." Zumberge said he hopes others can learn from his wrong decisions.
Zumberge's wife and son were in the courthouse Wednesday, but did not want to talk about the sentence.
The court read a victim impact statement on behalf of Cleven.
She said Stevens was her soulmate and that his murder devastated and changed every part of her life.
Her letter asked the judge to hand down the maximum sentence, which is what happened.