NC man sentenced in murder of neighbors who accused him of child molestation

RALEIGH, N.C. — A North Carolina man has been sentenced to life in prison for the triple murder of his neighbors who had accused him of child molestation.

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News outlets report Jonathan Sander was sentenced Monday for the 2016 deaths of Sal Mazzella's wife, adult son and daughter-in-law.

Before the sentence was handed down, Mazzella said he has forgiven Sander. Sander sarcastically applauded that announcement and launched into a nearly 30-minute rant that blamed and insulted other people.

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He began to threaten jurors and was cut off by Judge Graham Shirley, who said Sander would die in obscurity despite his crimes.

Sander was friends with Mazzella's son Sandy, and the family accused him of child molestation in 2016. Evidence says he burst into their home with a shotgun while screaming, "Child molester? Really, Sandy?"

Associated Press