COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—A man convicted of killing and sexually assaulting a mentally disabled woman in Colorado Springs in 1994 has been given a life sentence without parole.
The Gazette reports ( ) the victim’s relatives applauded Friday at the sentencing hearing of 58-year-old Jose Burciaga-Ruiz.
Burciaga-Ruiz had denied involvement in the death of Sharon Lee Sklavos, who disappeared from a relative’s home in 1994. A hiker later found her body. Burciaga-Ruiz had dated Sklavos’ relative. DNA testing led to his arrest last year.
Authorities say a second man who may have been involved fled to Mexico and is believed to be dead.
Investigators say one of Sklavos’ relatives and another man tried to seek vengeance against that man in the 1990s but killed a bystander instead. They are still in prison.
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Information from: The Gazette,
