Ex-Day Laborer Pleads Guilty to Killing Wealthy NY Socialite
A former day laborer who worked for an 83-year-old wealthy socialite found bludgeoned to death with a fire extinguisher at her Westchester estate in 2015 has accepted a plea deal that will land him behind bars for decades to come.
Esdras Marroquin Gomez, also known as Victor, was previously indicted on a charge of second-degree murder by a grand jury in with the killing of Lois Colley, the wife of a millionaire McDonald's franchisee with roughly 100 of the fast food restaurants. Colley was found in the couple's hilltop estate in North Salem in November 2015.
The family lived in an area of extreme wealth where horse farms dot the landscape. There was no history domestic issues on the property, police said.
On Monday, Gomez, 34, accepted a plea deal for murder in the second degree that will send him to prison for at least 20 years, but no more than 22 years.
Gomez had worked as a day laborer about five times on the farm, though he was not employed by the family at the time of Colley's killing.
Investigators previously said they believe he had gotten into some sort of dispute with someone in the Colley family and went to the estate on that November day looking to talk to someone. He ran into Colley and killed her, authorities said.
A caretaker at the 300-acre estate found Colley's body in the main house's laundry room. A small fire extinguisher was missing from the home; investigators said they believe that to have been the murder weapon.
The wealthy socialite had last been heard from about two hours before she was found, and there was no sign of forced entry, according to police. No valuables were taken.
Gomez had been identified as a possible suspect early in the investigation, though not publicly, officials said. He fled to his native Guatemala less than a week after the slaying and was there for a short time, then went to Cancún, Mexico. Mexican authorities tracked him down there and deported him back to his native country. But because there were no direct flights between Cancún and a Guatemalan airport, officials said FBI agents were able to detain Gomez once he landed in Miami on a connecting flight.
Photo Credit: NBC 4 New York
from NBC New York - Top Stories http://bit.ly/2JlUoP4
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