Van Winkle sentenced, victim’s parents split on death penalty

Jaacob Van Winkle was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

The victim’s family says they were optimistic since this was the last time they’d have to see a man who, in their words, is pure evil.

But they are split on whether Van Winkle should’ve got the death penalty.

Van Winkle’s sentence means he will never leave prison alive.

“It’s the best the system could do. We have to accept it,” said Jim Stotler, Mandy Folsom’s father

“My life stopped on March 9. That was my best friend, those kids were everything to me,” said Dawn Wassle, Mandy Folsom’s mother.

But Van Winkle’s conviction came as the result of a plea deal, with the death penalty off the table.

“The risks associated with seeking a death penalty as a sentence, the chances that the execution would never actually happen or take place, as we’ve seen in other cases of this nature, the chances that the individual being executed being very low. We determined the best course of action was to accept the guilty pleas,” said Thom Ledoux, district attorney.

It’s something that doesn’t sit well with Mandy’s father.

“Our lawmakers and our governor are flat ignoring that. The only thing they have success on is making sure the murderers get more fresh air,” Stotler said.

He said Colorado’s death penalty is, in his words, upside down.

“When our kids and grandkids were murdered, they had stopped Dunlap’s execution which affected us because the decision was made that it wasn’t going after because you’ve got a governor who’s not going to let it happen anyway,” Stotler said.

But Mandy’s mother is glad the process is over and that her surviving teenage granddaughter didn’t have to testify.

“I’m really happy this is done and over. We didn’t have to have a long trial,” Wassle said.

Under Colorado law, life without parole means there is no chance of any release.

Van Winkle is also serving an additional 200 years for a previous child sex conviction.