Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Gene Kennedy reportingA man is convicted for killing a Utah couple in Brazil, but the father of one victim expresses doubt about his guilt.
Zera Staheli, Todd Staheli's Father: "There are still questions in my mind. They've had the DNA for a year and a half. Why can they prove it now when they couldn't before?"
Brazilian authorities say a handyman brutally killed Todd and Michelle Staheli in Rio de Janeiro two years ago.
But Todd Staheli's father still has questions about the case. He talked with KSL Newsradio this morning. Staheli says he doesn't feel any sense of closure with the conviction. Too many questions remain.
Rio's Justice Department says 22 year-old Jossiel (cone-say-co) Conceicao dos Santos beat Todd and Michelle Staheli to death with a crowbar while the couple was sleeping in their Rio home.
The Staheli's are orignally from Spanish Fork, Utah. They had been living in Rio for three months at the time of their death in November 2003.
Police always suspected the couples' handyman, especially since he originally confessed to the crime. But he later recanted and the judge let him go because there wasn't enough evidence.
Early DNA tests failed to link Santos to the crime. But when his clothing was tested, Rio police say there were traces of the victims' blood found on it. That sealed the conviction.
But Todd Staheli's father says all that DNA testing makes him wonder if they got the right man.
Zera Staheli, Todd Staheli's Father: "I've heard they went DNA shopping to find what they need to find. So, whether they actually found the truth, or whether they found what they wanted to know, I don't know."
Todd and Michelle Staheli left four children behind. The kids now live with their grandparents in Spanish Fork.
The killer did not rob the Staheli's and there were no signs of forced entry. So despite the conviction, the motive remains a mystery.
It doesn't sound like the man convicted will be serving life in prison. He's 22-years-old and will likely spend 25 years behind bars.
