A New Mexico man was sentenced Thursday to 33 years in prison for murdering his girlfriend in 2019. His body was found in the Nevada desert nearly two years later.
of New Mexico Attorney General’s Office Jerry Jay, 61, of Farmington, was convicted after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and kidnapping.
They said it was the first case to be prosecuted under the Indigenous Killings and Disappearances Bill passed last year.
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Prosecutors said 59-year-old Cecilia Finona, a Navajo Farmington resident, was reported missing by her family in June 2019.
Her body was found in a remote desert culvert just outside Las Vegas in February 2021 and identified by DNA testing.
Finona retired as a sergeant in 2019 after serving 31 years, and Jay was her boyfriend, according to Finona’s family.
After an altercation on May 31, 2019, Jay hit Finona in the head with a blunt object and forced the victim into the back seat of her truck, officials said.
Finona bled to death as Jay drove through Arizona, Nevada and California, used a debit card to pay for new truck tires and gas, and dumped the body, according to prosecutors.
They said Jay was later arrested for stealing debit cards and told prison inmates that he killed Finona.
Jay “not only was killed in cold blood, but he did everything in his power to avoid it.” Mark Probasco saidDeputy Director of the Prosecutor’s Office in the Attorney General’s Office.
In addition to financial records, video and forensic evidence linked Jay to the murder, according to authorities. There was a “bloodstain” On the driveway that connects Jay and Crime.
“Jerry Jay was in 2019 in the world’s brightest light, and for that, he deservedly received his sentence.” New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torres said: After judgment. “We thank our prosecution team, along with the San Juan County prosecutor for their dedication to this case and to Cecilia.”
Finona’s younger brother, Stephen Barber. told KOAT-TV He moved to his sister’s house in January.
“Sometimes I talk to her,” Barber said. I walked through the door and said, “Good morning, sister. How are you?” I think she’s still here. I think so. It gives me comfort. [especially] I know she’s not there anymore. “
