William Zelenski in the moments after a jury found him guilty of first-degree intentional homicide (Law&Crime Network)
A 46-year-old former sheriff’s deputy in Wisconsin has been convicted of gunning down his girlfriend’s 18-year-old son over the alleged theft of exotic animals, booze, and firearms. A Waupaca County jury on Friday found William Zelenski guilty on one count of first-degree intentional homicide for the 2020 fatal shooting of Ryelee Manente-Powell following a five-day trial.
Waupaca County Circuit Court Judge Raymond S. Hubor ordered a presentencing investigation to take place prior to Zelenski’s sentencing hearing, which has been scheduled for 1 p.m. on August 22. Prosecutors asked that the hearing be available over Zoom so at least one person affected by the deadly shooting can read a victim impact statement.
Prior to calling for a recess, Judge Hubor also granted the prosecution’s request that Zelenski’s bond be revoked.
The verdict came only two days after Zelenski, who also goes by “Bill,” and Manente-Powell’s mother, Tiffany Powell, who was also dating Zelenski at the time of the shooting, both took the stand and testified about the events of Oct. 19, 2020.
Zelenski called 911 at about 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 19, 2020, and told the dispatcher that he had confronted Manente-Powell and an accomplice Ashton Tody for allegedly stealing the animals: a lizard valued at $17,000, a baby Burmese python worth $7,000, a Nile crocodile worth $2,000, and a boa constrictor worth $575. He said that guns and alcohol had also been stolen from his property. Zelenski said that he shot at Manente-Powell after the teen attacked him.
Despite claiming he shot in self-defense, prosecutors have emphasized that Manente-Powell was unarmed and that after shooting the 18-year-old, Zelenski did not attempt to render aid.
Powell was at the scene when her son was killed. She initially told police that her son “took off his shirt” to fight with Zelenski, and that’s when the older man grabbed a gun from his vehicle and shot Manente-Powell. However, a doorbell camera showed that Zelenski initially handed Powell the gun which she pointed at her son before giving the firearm back to Zelenski.
Powell, who has already been sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading no contest to first-degree recklessly endangering safety and guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm in February, took the stand first during Wednesday’s testimony.
She testified that her son shouted at Zelenski to “put the gun down and fight like a man” but said he never put the firearm down. She further confirmed that Manente-Powell did not strike Zelenski and that he was unarmed throughout the encounter.
Following her testimony, Zelensky took the stand and broke down in tears when talking about killing Manente-Powell.
Zelenski said he found out about where Manente-Powell allegedly kept the animals and contacted law enforcement. However, he said a short while later he saw Ryelee running in the street, claiming he was yelling, “I’m going to get you,” and “Come fight me like a man.”
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He said he grabbed the shotgun from his car because he was “scared … of Ryelee … closing the gap” between them.
Asked about his “intent” on the day of the shooting, Zelenski said it was only “to find and return my animals safely home.”
“Were you looking to find Ryelee [Manente-Powell]?” his defense attorney asked.
“No,” he replied.
“Were you looking to hurt Ryelee?”
“Absolutely not,” Zelenski said.
“Did you intend to shoot Ryelee that night?”
“No,” Zelenski said.
“Did you intend to kill Ryelee that night?”
“Absolutely not,” Zelenski responded.
“Did you want Ryelee to die?” his attorney asked.
Zelenski immediately started shaking his head back and forth, placing his hand over his mouth and barely getting out the word “No” as he began to sob. He grabbed a tissue offered to him and spent the next few seconds wiping tears from his eyes as he whispered, “Sorry.”
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