By Ruby Gonzales, San Gabriel Valley Tribune
A judge on Tuesday sentenced a Pasadena man to 26 years to life in prison for strangling his former girlfriend and the mother of his two children three years ago.
The body of 31-year-old Lajoya McCoy of Monrovia was found June 16, 2015 in her car, which was parked in the 200 block of West Cypress Avenue in Monrovia. Her family reported her missing the day before.
A jury on June 19 convicted 49-year-old Jose Roberto Turner of first-degree murder. They found true the allegation he used a rope to commit the crime.
Ricardo Santiago, spokesman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, said testimony during the trial revealed that Turner started threatening McCoy’s life when she broke up with him about two years prior to the murder.
Deputy District Attorney Fernanda Barreto said Turner strangled and stabbed McCoy on June 10, 2015.
Source: News Now/San Gabriel Valley Tribune