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Wisconsin issues recount order sought by Trump in 2 counties

WILKES-BARRE &mdash; A day after a Luzerne County jury found Reynaldo Mercado responsible for the stabbing death of Fred Boote in 2018, President Judge Michael T. Vough sentenced him to life in prison with no possibility of parole after an emotional hearing held at the Mohegan Sun Arena Thursday morning.
				Louisa Reyes, 16, who pled guilty to second-degree murder and testified against Mercado, 33, was sentenced to 40 years to life by Vough.
				Assistant district attorneys Tony Ross, Drew McLaughlin and Gerry Scott said Mercado and Reyes, then 14, devised a plan to rob Boote at his Donald Court, Wilkes-Barre, home on Sept. 14, 2018.
				Vough said he doesn&rsquo;t believe Mercado and Reyes simply intended to ransack Boote&rsquo;s home but intended to kill him, noting the pair did not carry any backpacks or a pillow case, items used to carry away stolen items.
				&ldquo;No person should die in their own home, asleep and while trying to help someone,&rdquo; Vough said before he imposed the sentences for Mercado and Reyes.
				Prosecutors said Mercado was upset because he was having money issues and wanted to rob someone on the street. Reyes led Mercado to Boote&rsquo;s home early in the morning and talked her way inside, leaving the front door open for Mercado.
				Mercado rushed inside and attacked Boote in a bedroom before stabbing him more than 50 times with a knife Reyes grabbed from the kitchen. Vough noted Reyes grabbed the biggest knife.
				Mercado testified during his trial this week he attacked Boote because he made a sexual advance toward Reyes, which Vough raised during the sentencing hearing.
				&ldquo;How dare you,&rdquo; Vough said criticizing Mercado&rsquo;s sexual assault claim.
				Mercado and Reyes got away with $25 and Boote&rsquo;s cell phone.
				Reyes previously lived with her mother in Boote&rsquo;s home.
				Vough noted the only reason why the cell phone was stolen was due to a text message from Boote to Reyes&rsquo; mother saying he was bringing her home.
				Mercado and Reyes sat motionless with their heads down as Boote&rsquo;s sister, Ann Boote Hill, and four children, Daniel Boote, Brittany Boote, Hayley-Jeanne Boote, and Erica Boote spoke about the loss of their brother and father.
				Ann Boote Hill said her brother was killed on her 38th wedding anniversary, recalling the date of Boote&rsquo;s murder &ldquo;the worst day of her life.&rdquo;
				Hayley-Jeanne Boote said she had a very close relationship with her father who often traveled to her residence in Philadelphia with groceries or other items. She said Mercado and Reyes did &ldquo;not show one ounce of remorse except for themselves.&rdquo;
				Brian Boote described their family home growing up as a &ldquo;sanctuary&rdquo; in a safe neighborhood, and his father was the highlight of many family gatherings.
				&ldquo;Twenty-seven months have passed since you targeted him, mutilated him, leaving him unrecognizable to our family,&rdquo; Brian Boote said. &ldquo;The grief we all experience is the price we pay for loving him. that&rsquo;s why it hurts so much. My dad may be dead but his legacy is still alive. You don&rsquo;t get to have his legacy, that is for us.&rdquo;
				Directing his thoughts at Reyes, Brian Boote called her a &ldquo;sociopath&rdquo; and asked Vough to sentence her to 40 years.
				Reyes&rsquo; attorney, Frank McCabe, asked Vough to consider Reyes&rsquo; age at the time of the murder and her acceptance of responsibility by pleading guilty to second-degree murder. She also testified against Mercado under the plea agreement she reached with prosecutors in September.
				Reyes turned to the Boote family and apologized.
				&ldquo;My apology that I can offer no matter what I say won&rsquo;t bring him back,&rdquo; Reyes said. &ldquo;I did something disgusting. It was not supposed to happen.&rdquo;
				Mercado was less sympathetic, simply saying to the Boote family: &ldquo;I deeply, deeply apologize to what happened. I will pay for this for the rest of my life.&rdquo;
				Vough said when Reyes is eligible for parole in 40 years and if he is still alive, he will write a letter to the state parole board requesting she remain jailed.

President judge sentences Mercado, Reyes for deadly stabbing