By Shereen Siewert | Wausau Pilot & Review
A Wausau man is facing life in prison after a jury on Friday found him guilty of fatally shooting his girlfriend in 2021.
Jurors deliberated for less than 90 minutes before delivering the verdict for Umberto Lo, 27. A trial began Monday for Lo, who was charged with first-degree intentional homicide by use of a dangerous weapon in connection with the death of Mai Rue “Lily” Vang. Five counts of bail jumping were also filed against Lo, who has a long history of domestic abuse-related charges involving the alleged victim in the case, court records show. He pleaded guilty to the bail jumping charges earlier and was tried only on the homicide charge.
Vang’s death came after years of abuse at the hands of Lo, who was arrested in February 2019 and convicted two months later on charges of disorderly conduct in which she was also the victim. A charge of battery was dismissed as part of a plea agreement and Lo was placed on probation for 18 months.
Then in April 2020, while still on probation, Lo was arrested on a new domestic abuse-related charge. He was released on bond with a condition not to contact Vang. But in September 2020, he was arrested and charged again, this time with strangulation/suffocation, battery, disorderly conduct and bail jumping. Initially, he was held on a larger cash bond but a month after the charges were filed, his attorney successfully petitioned Circuit Judge Mike Moran to convert the cash to a signature bond, paving the way for Lo’s release – again with a requirement not to contact the victim.
Though the no-contact order was non waiveable, it wasn’t long before Lo was arrested again. In December, Lo faced new bail jumping charges and was released on a $500 bond after another incident. And 12 days later, after another allegedly violent encounter, Lo faced new bail jumping and disorderly conduct charges. Circuit Judge LaMont Jacobson ordered a $2,500 bond with the first $500 in cash. That was enough to keep Lo in jail until Jan. 12, 2021 when he paid the cash and walked out of the Marathon County Courthouse a free man.
The order not to contact Vang remained in place and was still in effect on March 7, 2021 when Lo was arrested yet again. One day later Lo was charged with five counts of bail jumping and Judge Jacobson set a $2,000 cash bond. Lo paid the bond March 10, 2021.
Eleven days later, the victim in all six cases was dead.
Vang’s body was discovered at an apartment in the 1300 block of North 9th Avenue after Lo sent a photo of her body – with a gunshot wound to her head – to a family member via Facebook messenger. Two children were at the home at the time of the slaying.
Before the trial began, Lo unsuccessfully sought a change of venue, while his attorney questioned whether he was competent to stand trial. But after a court-ordered evaluation, Lo was declared competent, and the trial began Tuesday with a lengthy juror selection process.
On Friday, Jan. 26, jurors began deliberating just before 11 a.m. after two alternates were excused. Court reconvened just before 12:30 p.m., when the guilty verdict was read.
Judge Jacobson ordered a presentencing investigation be completed prior to May 6, when Lo will learn his fate. In Wisconsin, first-degree intentional homicide carries a mandatory life sentence, but judges can decide whether to allow supervised release after a minimum of 20 years.
Lo remains in the Marathon County Jail, awaiting sentencing.
