CAMDEN, N.J. – A man who pleaded guilty to his role in the death of a woman buried alive in a shallow New Jersey grave has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Camden County prosecutors said Friday that Ramon Ortiz was sentenced after pleading guilty last month to aggravated manslaughter. A co-defendant is scheduled to go on trial for murder in September.
The charges stem from the May 2014 death of 41-year-old Camden resident Fatima Perez. Authorities say her mouth and eyes were covered with duct tape before she was buried.
Prosecutors say Ortiz's co-defendant was giving Perez a ride to buy a car. Her family says she was carrying about $8,000 when she disappeared.
Her body was found two days after she was reported missing.