A Pompano Beach man accused of murdering and dismembering his wife in 2022 decided to take his chances in court by representing himself in front of a jury. It did not go well for him.
Ian Lanning, 58, was sentenced to life in prison late Tuesday after a jury took just under two hours to find him guilty of the murder of his wife, who was initially reported missing in May 2022.
Investigators believe Irene Lanning Xeniti, 53, was killed in their home in Pompano Beach in the early-morning hours of May 21. Her husband was arrested the following month.
Broward Circuit Judge Bernard Bober gave Lanning multiple chances to have a lawyer appointed to represent him, according to the State Attorney’s Office, but the defendant insisted on representing himself.
Prosecutor Heather Henricksen told the jury that Lanning cut his wife’s body into pieces that were stuffed into 18 garbage bags and tossed into the Intracoastal Waterway. The body has not been found.
Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457.