WAUSAU - A man who shot and killed his estranged wife and her friend and then fled to Mexico will remain behind bars after an appellate court on Tuesday denied his latest attempt to appeal his conviction for murder.
Da Vang, 48, formerly of Wausau and currently in the medium-security Stanley Correctional Institute, shot and killed his estranged wife, Jia Yang, 24, and her friend, Voua Lo Kiatoukaysi, 25, on Jan. 28, 1996, then fled to Tijuana, Mexico, where he was found Feb. 29, 1996.
A Marathon County jury found Vang guilty of two counts of first-degree homicide in 1997 and a judge sentenced him to life in prison.
Prior to the 1997 trial, Vang told the judge Marathon County Circuit Court Judge Vincent Howard that he would not participate in the trial, according to court records. Howard made sure Vang understood his right to participate in the trial with the assistance of an attorney and to be present during the trial, according to the documents. The judge required Vang to be present during jury selection, but Vang chose to boycott the proceedings until the trial was almost over.
In 2015, Vang filed a fifth appeal to set aside his conviction. The previous four appeals were either denied or withdrawn, according to court records. In his most recent appeal, Vang stated that his appellate attorney was ineffective, according to court records.
For the full article click the link below:
http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/story/news/crime/2016/05/03/wausau-man-fails-murder-appeal/83868460/(Da Vang, 46, during his trial)