SALT LAKE CITY – A federal jury in Utah has convicted an Illinois man of bombing a downtown Salt Lake City library in 2006.
Thomas Zajac was found guilty of five felony charges Monday that prosecutors say are almost guaranteed to keep the 57-year-old man locked up for the rest of his life.
Sentencing was set for Dec. 16.
The most serious charge — using a destructive device in a crime of violence — calls for a minimum of 30 years in prison.
Prosecutors told jurors that Zajac was angry about his son’s 2004 drunken-driving arrest by Salt Lake City police.
Defense lawyers suggested Zajac’s son, Adam Zajac, had a better motive for the bombing than his father.
But the father angrily rejected that theory, blurting out after the verdict that his son was innocent.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A federal jury in Utah is due to resume deliberations in the trial of an Illinois man accused of bombing a downtown Salt Lake City library in 2006.
Jurors were scheduled to return to court Monday after hearing closing arguments Friday in the trial of 57-year-old Thomas Zajac.
Zajac could face decades in prison in the September 2006 blast that damaged a library window and forced 400 people to flee. No one was hurt.
Prosecutor Eric Benson told jurors Zajac that was angry about his son’s 2004 drunken-driving arrest by Salt Lake City police.
Defense lawyer Deirdre Gorman suggests that Zajac’s son, Adam Zajac, had a better motive for the bombing than his father.