Gutzman receives life sentence for killing Gwinn woman

MARQUETTE — “I know what I did was wrong. I took my best friend’s life.”

Those were all the words 52-year-old Darrell Gutzman could muster Friday morning in Marquette County Circuit Court. Gutzman pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the stabbing death of Robbin Anne Lampinen of Gwinn last year.

In the early morning hours of December 15, 2016, Forsyth Township Police were called to a residence on the 300 block of Dart Street to investigate a homicide. They found Lampinen stabbed to death inside a bedroom.

Thanks to a post on social media that went viral, police arrested Gutzman later that morning in Ishpeming. The victim’s brother, Richard Hudson, did not hold back words when he addressed the court about the loss of his sister.

“He’s a piece of (expletive) crap. And I am asking the court to give him the maximum sentence,” said Hudson. “And for anyone to ask anybody who stabbed a woman and tore her clothes off, asking for a minimum sentence, are you crazy?” he added.

Gutzman admitted to the crime hours after his arrest. The pre-sentence report referred to Gutzman as a career criminal, with over 20 convictions on his record.

Before she handed down the life sentence, Marquette County Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Mazzuchi referenced past efforts of rehabilitation for Gutzman were unsuccessful.

“The circumstances of the offense involve a very violent murder. The autopsy report as mentioned in the pre-sentence investigation documented 24 stab wounds,” said Judge Mazzuchi.
Gutzman was originally charged with open murder.

Because he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, the opportunity for parole in the future still exists.