New Jersey Man Sentenced In Death Of Co-Worker Found Strangled Inside Burning Home
HILLSBOROUGH, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A New Jersey man who pleaded guilty to killing a co-worker and setting her body on fire was sentenced on Wednesday.
Juan Jimenez-Oliver, of Hillsborough, will serve 35 years in prison for first-degree murder in the 2014 death of 30-year-old Syiatlana Dranko.
According to authorities, Jimenez-Oliver strangled Dranko in April 2014, then set fire to her body and home to cover up the crime.
The two had worked together at a pizzeria, but authorities said they were not involved in a relationship.
The Somerset County Superior Court judge called the murder "heinous, cruel and depraved'' and said she wished she could have given Jimenez-Oliver the same life sentence he gave Dranko's family.
Police said Jimenez-Oliver denied involvement in the crime before turning himself in.
(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
