Public Safety
Man sent to prison for murder of former Cedar Rapids woman
Posted on Nov 04, 2009 by Admin.
This photo shows victim Renee A. Zeman (right) and her daughter, Carol Becker, shortly before Zeman’s death. Pantaleone Salinas was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Wednesday for the August 2006 stabbing death of Zeman. (Photo submitted to The Rolla (Mo.) Daily News)
Pantaleone Salvatore Salinas, the man who murdered her mother, was “abusive, demeaning, jealous, possessive,” Carol Becker told a Missouri judge on Wednesday.
Salinas, 71, formerly of Cedar Rapids, was sentenced Wednesday to 25 years in prison for the August 2006 murder of Renee Zeman, 65, at Zeman’s home near Rolla.
Both had worked at Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids before Zeman retired and moved to her “dream home” near Rolla. Zeman, who was active in Cedar Rapids civic and labor organizations, had ended a long-term relationship with Salinas shortly before he killed her with a stab wound to the neck.
Becker, Zeman’s daughter who now lives in Colorado, fought back tears as she delivered a victim impact statement in Phelps County Circuit Court in Rolla.
Salinas’ “controlling outbursts,” she said, were fueled by his alcoholism.
Her mother had told her, she said, it was as if Salinas “… had a hole in his bucket — that no matter how much love, compassion, understanding and patience she poured into his bucket, it would never be enough to fill it.”
Her mother, she said, “was liked and loved by so many people. My mom represented for me life, love, beauty, kindness, goodness, generosity, adventure, and she was my source of inspiration. She loved life more than anyone I’ve ever known.
“What he did to my best friend, my mother, was so horrible, so unnatural and premeditated, there is no way to possibly be prepared for it, even when you see it coming for years.
“He is nothing but a predator and a parasite, a user, a liar and a taker. … My wish for him is that he experience nothing but suffering for the rest of his pathetic existence on this earth before his inevitable descent into hell. I want him to feel a thousand-fold the terror my mom must have felt as he was shoving that knife through her neck.”
Salinas, in a written statement, said he was “deeply sorry and repentant for allowing myself to hurt everyone involved.”
GrandpaR
05. Nov, 2009
And he only gets 25 years. WHY ?
cloudburst
05. Nov, 2009
GrandpaR,
71 yrs old plus 25 yrs= 96 years old.
I doubt he makes it 10 more years in prison
Gotoutoftown
05. Nov, 2009
I worked with Sal at Rockwell, the daughter's comments are not far off base. He was a self-centered habitual liar. If you talked to Sal today he woud tell you that he was so important and well respected in prison that he was being promoted to Warden.
sincerelady
05. Nov, 2009
Why do women allow themselves to become involved with men like this. Can they not see what they are like? Or did she think she could "change" him. They never change.
ctiger
05. Nov, 2009
People who lack self esteem are drawn to those they think they deserve. These women believe that if they can hit upon just the right thing to do, they will be treated better. Abusers take advantage of this and make sure the women never do the "right thing".
GrandpaR
05. Nov, 2009
Ctiger, you nailed it. You can see this happening again and again. It isn't just the women. Men can fall into this situation just as easily. I'm sure you will agree. You keep thinking you can change them or they will change on their own, but it never happens.
ctiger
05. Nov, 2009
Correct, men can also fall into this trap, just not as frequently as women do. I've done a lot of counseling for people, to teach them to see where they need to believe that they deserve better than they think and to teach them to recognize the methods of controllers.
ctiger
05. Nov, 2009
I left you a reply, but can only see it on my profile page and not here. You are correct about men becoming victims too, but I think they don't come forward;due to shame; as often as women do.
JohnMcG
05. Nov, 2009
Photo of Salinas in shackles and bulletproof vest at sentencing