Stalker receives two life terms in killing of wife

Erica D. Johnson

Friday, May 30, 2003 | 9:26 a.m.

The Las Vegas man convicted of killing his wife after stalking her for months was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday, but the victim's son claims the killer still has not accepted responsibility for the slaying.

District Judge Joseph Pavlikowski sentenced Vitaly Zakouto, 53, to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for the December 2000 death of Marina Cannon, 49.

Zakouto was also sentenced to concurrent time of up to 10 years in prison on multiple other charges in the case, which included burglary with use of a deadly weapon and two aggravated stalking counts.

But for Jason Jaeger, having Zakouto accept culpability for his mother's death would be more important than Zakouto's prison sentence. He said he would have appreciated a letter or a statement from his mother's killer.

Zakouto had maintained his innocence during his trial. He did not speak at the sentencing.

"The people have held you accountable, but you haven't taken accountability," Jaeger told Zakouto at the sentencing. "I ask that as a man, for the repentance of your soul, that you take responsibility."

Vaughn Cannon, who also testified during the sentencing, said he was shocked when he found his daughter's body the morning after the slaying.

"I couldn't believe anyone could be that savage, that angry, that uncaring as to do something like that to my daughter," he said.

Thursday's sentencing came after a jury in April convicted Zakouto of first-degree murder in the case.

The same jurors decided on the sentence of life without the possibility of parole for the murder charge. It was up to Pavlikowski to sentence Zakouto on the additional charges.

Cannon was found dead in a bedroom of the home she shared with her father on Dec. 23, 2000. She had been shot twice, beaten and had multiple stab wounds.

Cannon had obtained a restraining order in Family Court months before the slaying to keep Zakouto away from her.

Prosecutors had described Zakouto as a controlling husband whose actions were motivated by money. They showed jurors a surveillance tape taken at the home the night of the killing, which they said showed Zakouto climbing into the house through a back window.

Defense attorney William Terry had argued that the shadowy videotape did not depict his client, but an intruder. He said Cannon was not afraid of Zakouto, and had invited him to her home on several occasions after obtaining the search warrant.

Jaeger said he had a normal relationship with Zakouto before Zakouto began stalking his mother.

"There were times when I felt deep care for you," he said, looking at Zakouto. "Somebody I loved and somebody you loved is gone as a result of your actions."

Chief Deputy District Attorney Ed Kane had argued unsuccessfully that the sentences on the stalking charges run consecutive to the murder charge.

"This stalking was the terrorization of a victim over a period of months," he said.

Terry had asked Pavlikowski for concurrent time, saying Zakouto was a hard-working man with no history of violence. He said the life sentence was punishment enough.

"You've got a 54-year-old individual that has already received a sentence of life without the possibility of parole," he said. "And that's exactly what that means. "