Angelo Colon-Ortiz, 31, pleaded guilty Wednesday and was sentenced to life in prison after the family of Marcotte urged prosecutors to accept the plea deal and spare them from the details of her murder, according to the Worcester County District Attorney.
A Massachusetts man has pleaded guilty to the 2016 slaying of Google employee Vanessa Marcotte, 27, who went out for a jog but never came back home, New York Post reported.
Angelo Colon-Ortiz, 31, pleaded guilty Wednesday and was sentenced to life in prison after the family of Marcotte urged prosecutors to accept the plea deal and spare them from the details of her murder, according to the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office.
The Worcester District Attorney’s Office said in a statement that Colon-Ortiz was sentenced to serve life in prison on the murder charge and, between the two charges, will not be eligible for parole for 45 years. He will serve 20 years to 20 years and a day on the unarmed robbery charge and then will begin serving a life sentence for murder, which includes a minimum of 25 years before parole eligibility.
“The completion of this case is the result of the tireless and committed work of the Massachusetts State Police, Princeton Police and Assistant District Attorneys who were involved in the investigation and prosecution of Vanessa’s killer,” District Attorney Joseph Early said in a statement. “We know nothing can bring Vanessa back, but we know, through the meticulous work of the prosecutors and investigators involved, justice will be served, and the plea allows Vanessa’s family to move on from this tragedy.”
“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 Marcotte family said. “To honor and remember Vanessa, we will continue to educate and protect women through the Vanessa T. Marcotte Foundation."
Marcotte, a Google account manager from New York City who was visiting her mom in Princeton, Massachusetts, went out for a run one August afternoon but never came home, cops said.
Marcotte’s naked body was found in the woods by a K-9 unit near her Woodlands home on the evening of Aug. 7. 2016, after her family reported her missing.
Police said the woman tried to fight off her attacker. She had burns on her feet, hands, and head when she was found.
After a months-long search, Colon-Ortiz was arrested in April 2017, and his DNA was collected, which led investigators to identify him as a suspect in her death, People reported.
