Man Gets 25 Years for Strangling Stepdaughter
A man who strangled his 14-year-old stepdaughter on Valentine’s Day 2001 in retaliation for his rejection by the girl’s mother has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder.
Juan Pablo Gonzalez, 29, admitted Wednesday that he killed Roxana Gonzalez, and the judge immediately sentenced him to 25 years to life in prison. He could have faced the death penalty or life in prison without possibility of parole if convicted on charges of murder, burglary and sexual assault.
Juan and Rosa Gonzalez had a turbulent marriage, and were estranged when Roxana was killed, investigators said. In the weeks before the strangulation, Juan Gonzalez stalked Rosa Gonzalez, once threatening that he would harm her children if she did not take him back, court records show.
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