NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A New Haven man plead guilty to murder in the death of his girlfriend whose body was found behind the Branford restaurant where he worked.
Lizzbeth Aleman-Popoca was found dead on July 15, 2020 in a shallow grave behind LoMonaco's Ristorante Italiano, where
Jonnathan Jara-Aucapina, 30, of New Haven, worked. The 27-year-old mother had been missing for two weeks before her body was found.
Jara-Aucapina pleaded guilty Wednesday to a charge of Murder. As part of a plea agreement, Jara-Aucapina faces a total effective sentence of 25 years in prison when he is sentenced in New Haven Superior Court on April 2.
Officials said Lizzbeth Aleman-Popoca, Jara-Aucapina’s longtime girlfriend. He had reporter her missing on July 3, 2020 to the East Haven Police Department. East Haven police learned. Jara-Aucapina was seen purchasing a hoe and shovel at the Home Depot in East Haven before driving out to the restaurant in the victim’s vehicle.
"In short, Jonathan concocted a story that Lizzbeth had ran off when he knew she was already dead. He then used this story to lie to her family, her loved ones, and then eventually law enforcement when her family basically forced him to report her missing. After this initial missing persons report, Jonathan continued to lie to investigators and also tried to conceal where he had buried her," said East Haven Chief of Police Ed Lennon said at the time of his arrest.
Doug Stewart is a Senior Digital Content Producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.
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