Last week, Noel Montes Lopez pleaded guilty to 1st-degree aggravated manslaughter before Judge Thomas Scully in Monmouth County Superior Court. The charge stems from a 2009 incident where the defendant strangled and beat his girlfriend to death after an argument in Long Branch. The victim was 33 year old Yesenia Hernandez Osorio.
Lopez also admitted to being in the country illegally and will therefore almost certainly be deported after serving his prison sentence. Prosecutors are expected to ask for a 12-year sentence. Under the No Early Release Act, Lopez will have to serve 85% of his time before he becomes eligible for parole.
