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Zachary Patten sentenced to life in prison – again

Posted at 4:45 PM, Jun 21, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-21 16:46:07-04

CENTREVILLE, Mich.  —  A man already sentenced to life in prison for a killing in Kalamazoo County has been sentenced for a second killing in St. Joseph County. Both happened on the same day.

Zachary Patten was jury-convicted on May 17th of charges of first-degree murder, felony murder, home invasion and felony firearm for the 2017 death of Shane Richardson. On Friday afternoon, a St. Joseph County judge sentenced Patten – who is 34 – for those charges.

The court says Patten was sentenced to:

*Count 1:   Life without parole for counts 1 and 2 – [Homicide/Murder short form]
*Count 2:                                                                                             [Homicide Felony Murder]
*Count 3:  5 years to 20 years                                               [Home Invasion-1st Degree ]
Count 4:  2 years and 2 years (he’s being given credit for 690 days already served in jail)    [Weapons- Felony Firearm ]
                   [ *Counts 1, 2 and 3 run concurrently....they’re consecutive to count 4.]

Patten previously had been sentenced to life behind bars for gunning down 31-year-old Graciella Portillo-Esparza in July 2017. Police had said Patten got into an argument with Portillo-Esparza’s brother, and when the mother of four got between them Patten shot her.

Investigators say Patten then drove to St. Joseph County, where he killed his ex-wife’s husband, Shane Richardson, who was 29. That happened in Florence Township, near Constantine.

Patter later drove to Indiana and turned himself in.