DA confirms mother of two was strangled and stabbed to death
A jury found a man guilty Monday of killing the mother of his two children, whose body was discovered in 2015 inside her vehicle parked in Monrovia, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced. Deputy District Attorney Fernanda Barreto said the jury deliberated for about eight hours before finding Jose Roberto Turner, 49, of Pasadena, guilty of one count of first-degree murder with an allegation that a rope or cord was used as a deadly weapon.
Sentencing is scheduled on July 10 in Department G of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Burbank Branch. Turner faces 26 years to life in state prison. The body of LaJoya McCoy, 31, was found inside her vehicle, parked on the 200 block of West Cypress Avenue on June 16, 2015, the prosecutor said. According to evidence presented at the trial, Turner strangled the victim to death and stabbed her on June 10, 2015.
The defendant had previously threatened McCoy’s life after their relationship ended, the prosecutor added. Case GA096978 was investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
