Chesco man gets 45-90 years for killing ex-girlfriend's boyfriend
A Chester County man who fatally shot his ex-girlfriend's boyfriend last summer was sentenced to 45 to 90 years in prison Thursday.
A Chester County man who fatally shot his ex-girlfriend's boyfriend last summer was sentenced to 45 to 90 years in prison Thursday.
Zachary David Ludwig, 23, of Spring City, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and related charges at the Chester County Justice Center in West Chester.
Angry about his ex-girlfriend's relationship, Ludwig confronted her boyfriend, Nicholas Mruczek, 20, outside the latter's apartment in North Coventry Township and shot him once in the chest with a sawed-off shotgun around 2 a.m. July 15, 2015.
On Thursday, Ludwig, who had no prior criminal record, apologized to the victim's 15 family members and friends in the courtroom and said he wished he could bring back Mruczek, whom he did not personally know.
"I understand if you think I'm a monster," said Ludwig, his voice breaking. "I'd have to agree with you on that."
Throughout the hearing, Ludwig's parents and the victim's family and friends wept.
Common Pleas Court Judge Anthony Sarcione said Ludwig's decision to kill because of a breakup was "just pathetic."
"You took a life, you ruined your life, and you ruined this family," the judge said.
The victim was a talented mechanic who liked listening to Dean Martin and loved his family, including his brother and little sister, his family said.
Patrick Mruczek, the victim's father, said he misses his son's nightly phone calls and said there were no words to describe "the total emptiness we feel."
As Nicholas Mruczek lay bleeding on the floor of his apartment last July, he told his roommates to tell his father he loved him.
His roommates, one a lifelong friend, tried to stop the bleeding and called 911.
Mruczek said "Zach" had shot him. He also identified his shooter to police and medical personnel before he went into surgery.
He died the next day.
His girlfriend, whose identity has not been released by police, told officers that Ludwig had told her he would get a "dirty gun" and shoot the victim.
Police discovered Ludwig had bought an unregistered shotgun roughly two weeks earlier. On the morning of the shooting, he drove his father's pickup truck to an empty lot and walked across a field to the back of the victim's apartment complex. Ludwig hid the gun in the long sleeve of his shirt and got Mruczek to meet him outside, where he shot him.
Ludwig then threw the shotgun into French Creek and drove home. After initially denying he shot the victim, he confessed.
Ludwig has been taking medication to treat bipolar disorder since two weeks before the shooting, he said, but professionals evaluated him and determined his diagnosis did not entitle him to any relief in sentencing.
P.J. Redmond, the public defender representing Ludwig, and Michelle Frei, assistant district attorney, negotiated Thursday's plea agreement.
"It's clear for the family, they're serving a life sentence," Frei said. "They're serving a life sentence without Nick."
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