Man Sentenced to 20 Years for St. Paul Woman’s 1981 Killing

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) _ A man who pleaded guilty to strangling an 81-year-old woman while burglarizing her St. Paul home more than 30 years ago has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Sixty-year-old Michael Withers was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty last month to second-degree murder in the 1981 death of former ``Ziegfeld Follies'' dancer Lilian Kuller.

Reports say Winters criticized the judge and prosecutor's office for turning his case into a ``media circus.'' The judge allowed reporters to video record the hearing.

Kuller's family said afterward that Withers' claims were callous and disappointing.
Authorities finally tied Withers to the crime last year after additional DNA testing was done on Kuller's fingernails.

Withers was given credit for time served since he was charged in Kuller's death in March 2017.