PHOENIX — Cecil Noyola, 66, who earlier this year was found guilty of murdering his girlfriend and fleeing the state, was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Wednesday.
Phoenix police responded to two calls requesting a welfare check on Jan. 5, 2021. When police entered the apartment, officers found 39-year-old Jessica Kennedy with a gunshot wound to the head but did not find a weapon at the scene.
Police said the defendant was "acting erratically" over several days, according to the initial investigation.
After fleeing Arizona, Noyola turned himself in to authorities in January 2021. Noyola admitted to giving the gun to a friend and it was recovered after the friend was arrested, according to a news release.
"Jessica’s family remembered her as a beautiful person with a bright personality who always wanted to be there for them. They shared that because of the defendant’s actions, Jessica, a Veteran and preschool teacher, has been robbed of a lifetime of adventures," the Maricopa County Attorney's Office said in a press release Thursday.
Noyola was found guilty of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence. He was sentenced to 25 years for the murder, three years for tampering with evidence, and 10 years for a separate misconduct involving weapons case.
These sentences will be served concurrently.
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