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Angelo Colon-Ortiz pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of Vanessa Marcotte in 2016, the Worcester County District Attorney's Office reports.
He was sentenced to serve life in prison on the murder charge and will not be eligible for parole for 45 years. Colon-Ortiz originally pled not guilty to first-degree murder and unarmed robbery after being arrested and arraigned in 2017.
“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,” Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early said.
“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.”
Marcotte was killed while she was jogging on a rural road in Princeton in August 2016, the Boston Globe reports. The 27-year-old, who worked for Google in New York City, was visiting her family when she was reported missing, the DA's Office reports.
Marcotte's body was found in the woods close to her family home off Brooks Station Road. Her death went unsolved until April 15, 2017 when investigators used DNA evidence to identify Colon-Ortiz as a suspect, according to NBC Boston.
“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."
Colon-Ortiz has also pleaded guilty to a charge of unarmed robbery, the DA's Office reports. He will serve 20 years to 20 years and a day on that charge and then will begin serving a life sentence for murder, which includes a minimum of 25 years before parole eligibility.
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