BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Armando Cruz, the 26-year-old man who pleaded guilty to the murder of 13-year-old Patricia Alatorre has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Cruz was charged with murder, rape, kidnapping, and other charges.
According to court documents, Alatorre snuck out of her home on July 1, 2020. A neighbor's ring camera captured Alatorre leaving and it showed a white Ford pickup truck in the neighborhood that was later found in Inglewood registered to Cruz.
During interviews with police Cruz admitted to communicating with Alatorre through Instagram and exchanging private photos. He also admitted to meeting her on two different occasions and according to court documents he intended to kill her.
Cruzpleaded guilty to murder, rape, kidnapping, and other charges in the death of Alatorre as part of plea deal. As part of the deal, Cruz will avoid the death penalty in exchange for life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Documents revealed a lot of information about how Alatorre communicated with her suspected killer, the kind of communication they had prior to her death, and the tragic way she lost her life.
Documents state Cruz convinced Alatorre to meet with him to engage in explicit acts on two occasions despite knowing she was only 13. He drove from Los Angeles to Bakersfield to meet her. On the second encounter, Cruz drove her around the block as she screamed, telling him she didn't want to go with him.
It was about this time that documents state she was raped. She tried to get up and physically struggled with Cruz and that's when he allegedly strangled her and tied her up with duct tape. He then took her body with him but the details following are too graphic to release.
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