Paola man sentenced to over 21 years in prison in gruesome murder inside Shawnee home
A 52-year-old Paola, Kansas, man was sentenced to over 21 years in prison for the 2018 fatal stabbing of his girlfriend’s ex-husband in his Shawnee home.
Johnson County District Judge Neil Foth sentenced Vincenzo Anecio Lucasta to 21 years and six months in prison in the killing of 57-year-old David Paterno during a gruesome confrontation inside Paterno’s home in the 21900 block of W. 51st Place.
Lucasta’s attorney was not immediately available for comment.
Paterno was found stabbed early the morning of Aug. 8, 2018, after a neighbor overheard a fight inside the home. The neighbor saw a man exit the home with a knife and leave in a white truck.
Police found Paterno sitting inside his home, surrounded by blood. He died by the time the ambulance arrived.
Under a plea deal earlier this year, Lucasta, who is also known as Morgan Lee Speakman, pleaded no contest and was found guilty of second-degree intentional murder.
Under the Speakman name, Lucasta has a lengthy criminal record. He served prison time in both Kansas and Missouri, including a 15-year sentenced for armed robbery in 2001.
