Linda man found guilty of murder in 2022 fatal shooting

Mar. 23—A Yuba County jury on Wednesday found 61-year-old Laurence Lang guilty of first degree murder in the 2022 shooting death of Robert Zandstra in Linda.

According to Yuba County District Attorney Clint Curry, Lang has an "extensive criminal history," which includes a prior murder conviction in 1981. With sentencing scheduled for May 1, Lang now faces a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Lang was arrested and charged for the 2022 death of Zandstra after Yuba County Sheriff's Department deputies responded to several 911 calls reporting a shooting that occurred outside of an apartment complex in the 1900 block of Country Club Court in Linda on April 6, 2022, the Appeal previously reported. Callers reported that the 43-year-old Zandstra of Linda was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

"Shortly before 6 p.m. on April 6, 2022, a woman confronted Lang on Country Club Court about letting his dog pee on a car," Curry said. "The argument quickly escalated and Robert Zandstra intervened, telling Lang not to speak to a woman that way. The men exchanged some heated words during the short confrontation. Lang left, but he wasn't done."

Curry said after that exchange, Lang walked home, dropped off his dog, and then acquired a handgun. Just a few minutes after the initial confrontation with the woman and Zandstra, Lang returned to Country Club Court. When he returned, Curry said, Zandstra and others were visiting and playing with children in the area.

Witnesses at the scene believed that Lang had returned to fight with Zandstra, but as he approached, a handgun was shown.

"The murder, which was recorded on a surveillance video, showed Zandstra backing away from Lang with his hands up," Curry said. "Lang stopped, carefully aimed, and fired three times at Zandstra, who collapsed in a field at the end of the cul-de-sac. Once Zandstra was down, Lang walked up until he was standing directly over him. A witness testified seeing Zandstra lying in pain lift his arms toward Lang, crying 'no, no, no, no' as Lang approached. Lang stood over Zandstra and shot him three more times, before casually turning around and walking back to his apartment."

Later that night, shortly before midnight, Yuba County Sheriff's Sergeant Charles May apprehended Lang.

"Lang faces a sentence of life without possibility of parole due to his prior murder conviction," Curry said. "Lang was 18 years old in 1980, when he shot and killed a man during a drug-related robbery in Los Angeles. After serving nearly 30 years in prison on that case, Lang was paroled in 2010. Lang was discharged from parole in 2015, and picked up three misdemeanor offenses between 2015 and 2022, one for domestic battery, and two for drunk driving."

Curry said May led the investigation into Zandstra's murder. Yuba County Community service officer Kevin Hanson and Yuba County District Attorney Investigator James Perin "worked together to stitch together multiple surveillance videos to help the jury see and understand what happened," Curry, who tried the case to the jury with Deputy District Attorney Mikayla Anderson, said.

"Thank you to everyone who worked on this case to get it ready to present to a jury of Lang's peers," Curry said. "Thank you to the members of the jury for your time and attention. Our criminal justice system only functions if citizens continue to show up and serve as jurors. We know that jury service is inconvenient, but justice is not possible without you."