Convicted killer guilty of 1973 murder

A man already convicted of rape and murder in Wisconsin has been found guilty in Arizona of kidnapping, raping and killing a young woman there in 1973. William Floyd Zamastil, 57, was convicted Thursday after a trial in federal court in Tucson. He faces a life sentence with no parole when he is sentenced in October. The victim, Leesa Jo Shaner, 23, vanished May 29, 1973, when she drove to Tucson International Airport to pick up her husband. Her car was found at the airport and her body four months later in a shallow grave at Fort Huachuca. "The FBI is extremely gratified by this verdict," Phoenix Division FBI Special Agent in Charge James Turgal Jr. said. "While there can be no real justice for Leesa Jo Shaner's family, at least they were able to witness her killer being called to answer for his crimes." Shaner's husband, son, mother and three sisters were in court almost every day during the trial, Turgal said. Zamastil first became a suspect in the case in 1979, officials said. He was then serving a life sentence in Wisconsin.there in 1973. William Floyd Zamastil, 57, was convicted Thursday after a trial in federal court in Tucson. He faces a life sentence with no parole when he is sentenced in October. The victim, Leesa Jo Shaner, 23, vanished May 29, 1973, when she drove to Tucson International Airport to pick up her husband. Her car was found at the airport and her body four months later in a shallow grave at Fort Huachuca. "The FBI is extremely gratified by this verdict," Phoenix Division FBI Special Agent in Charge James Turgal Jr. said. "While there can be no real justice for Leesa Jo Shaner's family, at least they were able to witness her killer being called to answer for his crimes." Shaner's husband, son, mother and three sisters were in court almost every day during the trial, Turgal said. Zamastil first became a suspect in the case in 1979, officials said. He was then serving a life sentence in Wisconsin.