NEW HAVEN - The 78-year-old father of a convicted killer was sentenced yesterday to six months behind bars for helping his son flee to Mexico and sending him money.
Frederick Zachs of West Hartford also was fined $5,000 during his sentencing in US District Court in New Haven.
Zachs pleaded guilty in June to harboring a fugitive. Federal prosecutors had said he should be locked up for six months for helping his 48-year-old fugitive son Adam.
“By helping his son, a convicted murderer, flee the country and escape justice, Mr. Zachs contributed to the suffering of the victim’s family and loved ones for more than two decades,’’ US Attorney David Fein said.
Frederick Zachs asked to be spared time behind bars, citing his fragile health and other factors.
Adam Zachs, who was convicted in 1988 of fatally shooting a man outside a West Hartford restaurant and was sentenced to 60 years in prison, was captured in February.
Zachs was caught in Mexico, where he had created a new life and family under an alias, authorities said. He was arrested in Leon Guanajuato, about a five-hour drive northwest of Mexico City, while on the way to his computer business, West Hartford police Chief James Strillacci said at the time.
Zachs was convicted in the 1987 shooting death of Peter Carone outside the restaurant after an argument. He denied the charges against him. He posted a $250,000 appeal bond after sentencing, missed a court date in June 1989, and wasn’t seen by authorities again until the week of his capture.
