"Bulos Paul Zumot has been convicted again of murder and arson charges in the notorious 2009 killing of his ex-girlfriend in Palo Alto, capping a second trial brought on when a federal judge overturned his original 2011 conviction after he claimed earlier courts and his trial attorney failed to act on faulty evidence. Bulos "Paul" Zumot sits in a Santa Clara County courtroom in a 2009 file photo."
"This time around, Santa Clara County prosecutor Michael Gadeberg presented a more expansive murder case to jurors that he said left no doubt that hookah lounge owner Zumot spent the entirety of his relationship with Jennifer Schipsi threatening her with explosive text messages and heated phone calls. That culminated Wednesday with a jury, after two days of deliberation, finding Zumot guilty of strangling 29-year-old Schipsi on Oct. 15, 2009 and then setting fire to her and the Addison Avenue cottage they shared."
"At the end of the day, the truth is that no one but Zumot threatened to kill her for two years, and he did exactly what said he was going to do, Gadeberg said in an interview. Zumot declined to be transported to the Morgan Hill courtroom of Judge Javier Alcala and so was not present for reading of the verdict Wednesday, which marked the 16th anniversary of Schipsi's death and was one day after Zumot's 52nd birthday."
Bulos Paul Zumot was convicted again of murder and arson for the October 15, 2009 killing of his ex-girlfriend Jennifer Schipsi at their Palo Alto home. A federal judge previously overturned his 2011 conviction after findings that earlier courts and his trial attorney failed to act on faulty evidence, prompting a second trial. Prosecutor Michael Gadeberg presented evidence that Zumot repeatedly threatened Schipsi with explosive text messages and heated phone calls, and jurors found he strangled her and set fire to her and their Addison Avenue cottage. Zumot was not present for the verdict reading. The District Attorney's Office seeks a 33-year prison term, with sentencing scheduled for Nov. 21; the conviction occurred on the 16th anniversary of her death.
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