Prosecutors announced an arrest Saturday in last summer’s brutal murder of a New York City Google manager who was out jogging in rural Massachusetts when she was killed.
“We got him,” Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said in announcing the arrest of Angel Colon Ortiz, 31, of Worcester, in connection with the murder of 27-year-old Vanessa Marcotte in Princeton, Massachusetts, on Aug. 7.
Early said investigators obtained DNA of Marcotte’s killer because of the fight she put up before she was killed.
Recently, a state trooper spotted Ortiz in a dark SUV. The trooper knew that detectives assigned to the Marcotte case were looking for a dark SUV and a Hispanic man, the prosecutor said.
The trooper wrote down the SUV’s license plate on his hand. A day later he showed up at the home where Ortiz lived. Ortiz agreed to provide a saliva sample containing DNA.
Just spoke with member of #VanessaMarcotte family- they know very little, but are thrilled about #arrest @fox25news - press conference 2pm.
— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) April 15, 2017
Early said the DNA match came back Friday. Ortiz was picked up early Saturday.
“We’re very confident we have Vanessa Marcotte’s killer,” he said.
The prosecutor said Ortiz worked in Princeton near where Marcotte was killed. He declined to say where Ortiz worked or what he did.
Early said Ortiz was jailed on charges of aggravate assault, battery, and aggravated assault with intent to rape.
He said he anticipates that Ortiz will be charged with murder.
Marcotte's naked body was found a day after she left her mother's house to go jogging and disappeared. Police believe the woman was strangled, and her hands and feet set on fire.
DNA PROFILE IN GOOGLE MANAGER’S MURDER PROMPTS ID, POLICE SAY
Investigators discovered the body in a wooded area not far from the home of Marcotte's mother.
Prosecutors said in February that based on a DNA profile the killer was believed to be a Hispanic or Latino man with an athletic build who is about 30 years old, the station reported.
Investigators received more than 1,300 tips in the case.
The DNA sequence matched to Ortiz occurs only once in about 1.1 quintillion sequences, Early said according to Fox 25 Boston. He said that is why investigators are so sure they've found the killer.
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