EDITOR’S NOTE: A previous version of this story misidentified where this case was in the legal process. This story has been updated to reflect Lucasta’s sentencing on Wednesday.

SHAWNEE, Kan. — A Paola, Kansas, man will spend over two decades in prison for a 2018 deadly stabbing of another man.

Vincenzo Lucasta, 49, was originally charged in 2018 with first-degree murder. In January 2022, he pleaded no contest to second-degree murder in the death of 57-year-old David Paterno.

On April 14, he was sentenced to 258 months, or over 21 years, in prison, Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe announced this week.

In August 2018, Shawnee police officers were dispatched to the area of West 51st Street and Monticello in response to a physical disturbance call.

Upon arrival, officers found Paterno inside of a home severely beaten and suffering from stabbing wounds. Paterno was transported to an area hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Independence police later took Lucasta into custody during a traffic stop when they determined he had a warrant in connection to the Shawnee homicide.