Man says he would have admitted killing wife _ after his death

11 March 2008
Associated Press Newswires
MADISON, Wis.

(See: McCanns consult American lawyers over 'cadaver dog' evidence)

A former state employee convicted of killing his wife in 1976 and hiding her body for three decades told investigators he had planned to confess after his death.

Eugene Zapata, 69, told Madison police last month that he would have left a letter for his three children to be opened only after his death. But he would not have confessed to killing their mother while he was alive.

Continue Reading... Labels: Eddie, Eugene Zapata, Jeanette Zapata, Keela, Madeleine McCann

ZAPATA ADMITS KILLING WIFE, GETS 5 YEARS

THE FORMER MADISON MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO THE 1976 MURDER.
19 February 2008
The Capital Times and Wisconsin State Journal
ED TRELEVEN
...
On Oct. 11, 1976, Eugene Zapata hit his wife on the head with a rectangular paperweight, then strangled her until his hands hurt. He wrapped her body in a tent and buried it.

For more than 30 years, he maintained that Jeanette Zapata just disappeared. He kept the secret until earlier this month, when he confessed to Madison police.

Zapata's confession came Feb. 5. He gave a detailed account, as required under a plea agreement he reached with prosecutors to avoid another trial.

On Monday, Zapata, 69, pleaded guilty to homicide by reckless conduct and was sentenced to the maximum five years in prison, though it's likely he will serve less than that. Zapata's statement to police was described in court Monday by Assistant District Attorney Robert Kaiser.

Zapata was tried in the fall for first-degree murder, but after 30 hours of deliberation, the jury could not reach a verdict and Dane County Circuit Judge Patrick Fiedler declared a mistrial. A second trial was to start next month.

Continue Reading... Labels: Eddie, Eugene Zapata, Jeanette Zapata, Keela, Madeleine McCann

My trials with Madeleine

18 September 2007
The Scotsman
Stephen McGinty

THE spotlight on Kate McCann's parenting skills intensified yesterday as police in Portugal began to trawl through her personal medical records to establish whether she has a history of depression.

The move coincides with the publication of an interview in which the mother of Madeleine McCann revealed that her daughter's early life was "very difficult" and that the missing child was jealous of the attention given to her twin siblings.

Mrs McCann, 39, spoke to Flash!, a Portuguese magazine, before she was classified as a suspect in her daughter's disappearance. In the interview, she said Madeleine "cried practically for 18 hours a day" during her first six months.

Continue Reading... Labels: Eddie, Eugene Zapata, Jeanette Zapata, Keela, Madeleine McCann

Claim and counterclaim

19 September 2007
The Daily Telegraph

Claim: It was widely reported that traces of bodily fluids found in the boot and spare wheel well of the McCanns' hire car were an 80 per cent match with Madeleine.

Counterclaim: A family friend said a "perfectly innocent explanation'' was that the girl's belongings were moved from the family's holiday apartment to a rented villa. Among her possessions was a pair of sandals which would have held her sweat and thus her DNA.

Continue Reading... Labels: Eddie, Eugene Zapata, Jeanette Zapata, Keela, Madeleine McCann

McCanns consult American lawyers over 'cadaver dog' evidence

16 September 2007
 Daily Mail

Kate and Gerry McCann's legal team have consulted the lawyers of an American man accused of murdering his estranged wife in a case where cadaver dog evidence was key, a source said today.

Two British sniffer dogs, one capable of detecting blood and human remains, were brought to Portugal in early August.

The cadaver dog picked up a "scent of death" on everything from Mrs McCann's clothes to missing Madeleine's favourite soft toy Cuddle Cat, according to reports.

Continue Reading... Labels: Eddie, Eugene Zapata, Jeanette Zapata, Keela, Madeleine McCann