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Alberto Cruz sentenced for the murder of Alma Del Real

(Photo supplied)

The man accused of killing Alma Del Real in April 2015 was sentenced to 60 years in prison on Friday, June 17.

The sentencing hearing on Friday, June 17, comes about one month after Alberto Cruz was found guilty of murder in connection to the April 2015 death of the 22-year-old woman.

Del Real was reported missing in April 2015 after spending the evening with Cruz and other friends at bars in South Bend. When Cruz testified at his trial, he said the two had sex at the end of the night, but then she tried to blackmail him. He admitted to hitting and shoving Del Real, but insisted he didn’t intend to kill her.

At the sentencing hearing, Judge John Marnocha said that Cruz’s account of Del Real’s death was almost a fantasy and that Cruz killed her. He also said that the trust factor in Del Real’s relationship with Cruz and the way he dumped her body spoke to Cruz’s character.

Cruz was charged with murder in May 2015 after leading police to her body in a wooded area in Marshall County. Del Real was reported missing by her family April 13, 2015.

Cruz’s conviction in May came after three days of testimony. The prosecutor called several witnesses, including investigators, FBI agents, forensic specialists and a cell phone tracking expert.

Jurors deliberated for a little more than an hour before reaching a verdict.

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