31-year-old Angelo Colon-Ortiz who has been accused of killing Vanessa Marcotte, a Google employee, while she was jogging near her mother’s home in Massachusetts pleaded guilty to the murder on Wednesday, Oct. 26, said reports.
The accused was sentenced to life behind bars after the 27-year-old victim's family urged prosecutors to accept the plea deal and spare them from the horrible details of her murder, according to the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office.
Marcotte had been living in New York City while working as a Google account manager. She was visiting her mom in Princeton in August of 2016 when she left for a workout around 1 p.m. and never returned.
According to the police the victim's body was found in woods about half a mile from her mother’s house at 8:20 p.m. that night.
During their investigation, the police received more than 1,300 tips but the department got its big break in the case when a Massachusetts state trooper spotted a driver of a dark SUV that matched a description of the suspect and quickly jotted the plate number down on his hand.
Colon-Ortiz was arrested in April 2017 after detectives matched DNA obtained by the driver with that found on Marcotte’s hands. According to the DA’s office, Colon-Ortiz pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and unarmed robbery charges.
In a statement, Marcotte's family said they were thankful that the legal process was able to accomplish what they wished for.
The family said, “We are thankful and gratified the legal process has accomplished what we always wished for, that this man will now be in a place where he can’t hurt anyone else like the way he hurt Vanessa.”
The family also talked about honoring and remembering Vanessa.
They said, “To honor and remember Vanessa, we will continue to educate and protect women through the Vanessa T. Marcotte Foundation.”
The Vanessa T. Marcotte Foundation was established in 2017 in Marcotte’s memory, according to its website. Thousands of women have been trained at self-defense workshops by the non-profit. The foundation also offers educational programs on healthy relationships and violence.
© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.