Attacker Guilty in Sex Assault, Strangulation Of Neighbor

COOK COUNTY, IL — A 32-year-old Schaumburg man now faces life in prison after a Cook County judge found him guilty late Wednesday of sexually assaulting and strangling to death his 32-year-old neighbor, Tiffany Thrasher, inside her apartment in April 2017, the Daily Herald reports. Bulmaro Mejia-Maya has been convicted of first-degree murder, aggravated criminal sexual assault and home invasion in connection with the brutal attack inside Thrasher's apartment after Mejia-Maya climbed through a window to get in and then confronted Thrasher as she came out of the bathroom, according to prosecutors. He pushed her onto a bed, sexually assaulted her and then strangled her.

Defense attorneys claimed Majia-Maya, who lived next door in an apartment with five co-workers, helped Thrasher bring her groceries in the evening of the attack and then the two had consesual sex, according to the Daily Herald. An argument followed and turned deadly, defense attorneys said. But, the judge did not buy their argument stating Thrasher "fought for her life," the newspaper reports.

The Schaumburg man is now set to be sentenced, possibly as soon as Aug. 13, and family members told the Daily Herald Wednesday's verdict did provide some peace of mind.

"Bad things happen every day," Heath King, Thrasher's brother-in-law, said after the verdict, "but until the bad news affects you personally you never know the gravity. ... We're thankful for the apprehension, prosecution and conviction of the murderer. It won't bring Tiffany back, but justice has been served."

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