Crime & Safety

Man Sentenced In Monrovia Strangling Murder

A man who strangled a woman outside of her parents' Monrovia home will spend 40-years to life in prison.

MONROVIA, CA — A Valinda man who strangled his girlfriend inside a parked SUV outside of her parents' Monrovia home was sentenced Thursday to 46 years to life in state prison.

52-year-old Joel Velazquez, was found guilty on May 12 of one count of voluntary manslaughter, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

He was charged in the death of his girlfriend, 46-year-old Alice Marie Medina- Kaplan, whose body was discovered Sept. 21, 2014 inside an SUV parked behind a home owned by her parents in the 200 block of Mauna Loa Drive.

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Velazquez was detained at the scene and arrested that day. He has remained behind bars since then, according to jail records.

Velazquez's mother and the victim's father told reporters shortly after the killing that both Velazquez and Medina-Kaplan suffered from mental illness.

Find out what's happening in Monroviafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

City News Service contributed to this report.

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