NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) - A New Jersey man convicted of strangling his girlfriend with a phone cord during a domestic dispute has been sentenced to life in prison.
Carlos Ortiz learned his fate Wednesday. The 53-year-old Ewing man testified during his murder trial that he had acted in self-defense, but a Mercer County jury convicted him in August after deliberating for less than an hour.
County prosecutors have said Ortiz and 51-year-old Rufina Castro were arguing in their home in August 2016 when Ortiz broke a beer bottle over Castro’s head, strangled her and hid her body under laundry and blankets. Ortiz then stopped by Castro’s workplace and told her supervisor she was sick and wouldn’t be coming in that day.
Ortiz then fled to a Belleville hotel, where he was arrested.
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