Life of attorney’s killer had different path than victim
EL CENTRO — The man convicted in the fatal stabbing of El Centro attorney Ann Marie Zimmerman forged a working-class life in the United States after emigrating from Romania but later lapsed into major depression and chronic alcohol abuse, a county Probation Department pre-sentence report states.
Ioan Laurint, 54, received a term of 15 years to life on March 29 after pleading no contest to second-degree murder in connection with the Feb. 17, 2017 incident.
He and Zimmerman, who was married, were reportedly involved in an extramarital affair for several years but the relationship ended violently in a room at the Golden West Motel on Adams Avenue in El Centro.
A gruesome scene was discovered by a man who said he went to the room in which Laurint had been living to collect rent, the report states. After seeing an unresponsive man on a bed he called police. Officers who responded found Laurint severely injured and Zimmerman dead on a blood-soaked bed. Four knives, some bloodied, were also found in the room.
“The autopsy revealed that Zimmerman had 14 lacerations. There were 10 stab wounds to the neck and chest, four (more) characterized as defensive wounds, consisting of three on her right forearm and hand, and one on her left hand. Three stab wounds were fatal, one to the heart and two to the left lung,” the report continues.The crime “involved great violence” and the victim was “particularly vulnerable” because she was lying in bed and was “defenseless,” the report states.
“It is apparent that the victim endured extreme suffering until she succumbed to her injuries. It is obvious the defendant planned to murder the victim, as such plan was evident,” the report states without providing further detail on the scheme.
Laurint suffered “about seven one-inch lacerations on the front of his neck and about eight two-inch lacerations on his stomach and chest area,” according to the report, and an investigation determined they were self-inflicted. They were serious enough for him to be taken to El Centro Regional Medical Center and then flown to a San Diego hospital.
‘Conflicting statements’
When interviewed by El Centro police at UC San Diego Medical Center, Laurint gave “conflicting statements” about what occurred in the motel room.
“Laurint stated that he wanted to ‘ leave with her because of what he has done to himself.’
This comment lead (sic) Det. (Genaro) Meneses to believe that he knew Ms. Zimmerman was deceased.”