A 45-year-old Manassas man will serve just under 13 years in prison for the 2003 murder of his estranged wife, Marissa Lara, who was found dead in her car in Dupont Circle in May 2003.
Prince William Circuit Court Judge Rossie Alston Jr. on Monday gave Gerardo Lara a 40-year sentence with 27 years and one month suspended. Lara must also serve 10 years probation. Following his sentence, Lara will be deported back to his native Mexico, said Paul Ebert, Prince William commonwealth’s attorney.
Before being sentenced, the court accepted an Alford plea from Lara. The plea maintains his innocence, but acknowledges there is enough evidence to prove his guilt, the source said.
“We agreed he’d be sentenced at the bottom of the guidelines. He withdrew his appeal,” Ebert said.
“It was a disposition of the case, that while not what we would have like to have seen, assures Mr. Lara will have the opportunity to rejoin his children and that is consistent with the best interests of his family,” said Jon Shields, Lara’s attorney. Lara has two sons, ages 16 and 19.
Lara’s trial was postponed several times in 2004 because Virginia authorities couldn’t get evidence from the District. During his first trial in April 2005, the judge declared a mistrial after Lara was found guilty. A juror, Lindy Heaster, began buying newspapers before the trial was completed — which is against the rules — then lied about it to the court. Lara was found guilty a second time in October 2005.
