Pubdate: Fri, 22 Feb 2002 Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI) Copyright: 2002 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Contact: http://www.jsonline.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/265 Author: David Doege, of the Journal Sentinel staff TEEN WHO SHOT GIRL GETS 5 YEARS Boy Conspired To Hide Neighbor's Body In Northern Wisconsin A teenager who fatally shot a neighbor girl while high from marijuana, then conspired with his mother and others to bury the body in northern Wisconsin, was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison followed by 11 years of community supervision. "It's a case of drugs, a loaded weapon and death," Milwaukee County Circuit Judge John J. DiMotto said before sentencing Brian Vrana, who was 14 at the time of the shooting. "It's a recipe for disaster that I have see all too often." And even though Vrana, now 16, wasn't being sentenced for it Thursday, DiMotto agreed with a prosecutor who said the case was also about the despicable disposal of the dead girl's body. "This wasn't a burial," Assistant District Attorney Steve Licata noted. "This was like what you do with garbage." Vrana was sentenced after the girl's mother said her daughter's killer deserved a chance to prove himself instead of being locked up with a long prison term. "I know that Brian is a friend, and he would not intentionally hurt her," Tina Drapp told DiMotto. Vrana was sentenced in adult court by DiMotto on a charge of second-degree reckless homicide while armed. He was sentenced in an earlier proceeding to three years at Ethan Allen School in Wales, a juvenile correctional facility, on a children's court charge of hiding a corpse. Vrana shot and killed Angela Velzka-Lawrence with a gun he thought was unloaded while they and several other teens were partying in Vrana's home. Several people discussed what to do before he, his mother, Susan Marie Vrana, another teenage boy and family friend Shane Pfennig, loaded the girl's body into a van and drove north, where they buried it. Pfennig, 25, of South Milwaukee, pleaded guilty to hiding a corpse and was subsequently sentenced to one year in jail and five years of probation. Susan Vrana, 41, pleaded guilty to the same charge and is awaiting sentencing. The other teenager is awaiting prosecution in children's court. Brian Vrana admittedly was a marijuana dealer at the time of the slaying in July 2000 and shot Velzka-Lawrence with a pistol he possessed to protect himself from being robbed by people who knew he was a drug dealer, according to Licata. Vrana also had a long history of regularly using alcohol and drugs including marijuana, Ecstasy and OxyContin since the age of 13, DiMotto noted. After the body was buried in Marinette County, the disappearance of Velzka-Lawrence remained a mystery until July 2001, when Pfennig helped lead police to the girl's shallow grave. Authorities said at least 13 people knew of the girl's fate but kept the death a secret until Pfennig and another person came forward. The Vranas kept the matter a secret despite living next-door to the dead girl's family. "She was like a sister to me," Brian Vrana insisted in court Thursday. "I loved her with all my heart." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake