Lang sentenced to life without the possibility of parole

Robert Summa, Appeal-Democrat, Marysville, Calif.
·3 min read
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May 1—Laurence Lang, a 61-year-old Linda man who was found guilty of premeditated murder in March, was sentenced Monday in a Yuba County courtroom to life without the possibility of parole.

Yuba County Judge Benjamin Wirtschafter sentenced Lang for the shooting death of Robert Zandstra on April 6, 2022, in Linda. Because of a prior murder conviction in 1981, Lang was eligible for the sentence.

Lang was arrested and charged for the 2022 death of Zandstra after Yuba County Sheriff's Department deputies responded to several 911 calls reporting a shooting that occurred outside of an apartment complex in the 1900 block of Country Club Court in Linda on April 6, 2022, the Appeal previously reported. Callers reported that the 43-year-old Zandstra of Linda was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

"Shortly before 6 p.m. on April 6, 2022, a woman confronted Lang on Country Club Court about letting his dog pee on a car," Yuba County District Attorney Clint Curry previously said. "The argument quickly escalated and Robert Zandstra intervened, telling Lang not to speak to a woman that way. The men exchanged some heated words during the short confrontation. Lang left, but he wasn't done."

Curry said after that exchange, Lang walked home, dropped off his dog, and then acquired a handgun. Just a few minutes after the initial confrontation with the woman and Zandstra, Lang returned to Country Club Court. When he returned, Curry said, Zandstra and others were visiting and playing with children in the area.

Witnesses at the scene believed that Lang had returned to fight with Zandstra, but as he approached, a handgun was shown.

"The murder, which was recorded on a surveillance video, showed Zandstra backing away from Lang with his hands up," Curry previously said. "Lang stopped, carefully aimed, and fired three times at Zandstra, who collapsed in a field at the end of the cul-de-sac. Once Zandstra was down, Lang walked up until he was standing directly over him. A witness testified seeing Zandstra lying in pain lift his arms toward Lang, crying 'no, no, no, no' as Lang approached. Lang stood over Zandstra and shot him three more times, before casually turning around and walking back to his apartment."

According to the Yuba County District Attorney's Office, Lang was 18 years old in 1980 when he shot and killed Alejandro Trejo during a drug-related robbery in Los Angeles. After serving almost 30 years in prison for that incident, Lang was paroled in 2010.

"Yuba County Sheriff's Department Sergeant Charles May, who led the investigation, apprehended Lang shortly before midnight on April 6, 2022," the Yuba County District Attorney's Office said. "Yuba County CSO Kevin Hanson and Yuba County District Attorney Investigator James Perin worked together to stitch together multiple surveillance videos to help the jury see and understand what happened. District Attorney Clint Curry and Deputy District Attorney Mikayla Anderson tried the case to the jury. Thank you to everyone who worked to bring justice for Robert Zandstra and his family."