Landmark sex offender case resolved

LAFAYETTE, Ind (WLFI) -  A man convicted in Tippecanoe County for the rape and murder of a young boy has agreed to life in prison without parole.

Christopher Stevens was tried in Lafayette for the 1993 murder of 10-year-old Zachary Snider in Putnam county. The case was moved to Tippecanoe County because of pre-trial publicity.

The case gained statewide attention and eventually led to the creation of Zachary's Law. The law requires convicted sex offenders to register with local police within a week of moving into a neighborhood.

A federal appeals court overturned the initial death penalty ruling. The court said the defense did not provide adequate evidence of Stevens' mental illness during his trial.

Tippecanoe Superior Judge II Tom Busch was scheduled to call a new jury to hear evidence to determine a new sentence in Feburary of 2010.On Tuesday, however, Putnam County Prosecutor Tim Bookwalter announced attorneys had reached an agreement on the case.

"My office had prepared for the upcoming trial over the past twelve months. Todd and Sandy Shider have asked me to consider life without parole to prevent them from having to go through another jury trial fifteen years later," said Bookwalter.

Zachary's father, Todd, issued the following statement about their request:

"I, as well as my wife Sandy Snider, would like to drop the death penalty in favor of life without possibility of parole.  Our family has suffered enough and would like for this to be resolved once and for all.  We have asked Mr. Bookwalter to abide by our request.  This will give our family finality and no further appeals.  Chris Stevens  will die in prison and will never have the opportunity to destroy peoples' lives again.  We would also like to thank the community for their prayers and support over the last 15 years."

Bookwalter said, "Mr. Stevens more than deserved the death penalty, but I will honor Todd and Sandy's (Snider) request."

The re-sentencing is scheduled for November in Tippecanoe Superior Court II.