'Laughing at him': Man strangled ex-girlfriend after friends mocked his desperation when she ghosted him during corn maze date with new boyfriend

An Arizona antheral strangled his ex-girlfriend successful California aft his friends started "ridiculing him and laughing astatine him" for acting hopeless by calling and texting her each night, according to prosecutors. The antheral was ghosted by the 22-year-old woman, who was "largely" ignoring his attempts to scope her.

Noel Ledesma, 44, was convicted this week of first-degree murder aft sidesplitting Yvette Martinez successful 2010, according to a Monterey County District Attorney's Office press release. Martinez's assemblage was recovered successful the trunk of her burning car aft Ledesma strangled her to death. He tried unsuccessfully to propulsion the conveyance into a canyon, but it got stuck connected a berm, the DA's bureau says.

The slaying went unsolved for much than 15 years earlier authorities were capable to nexus Ledesma, who moved to Arizona, to it successful February 2025 aft analyzing cellphone information that provided "extremely almighty ocular evidence" showing Ledesma's alibi was false. He had claimed that helium was astatine a household enactment connected the nighttime that Martinez went missing from her location aft a nighttime retired with friends.

"Analysis showed that Ledesma was astatine oregon adjacent Martinez's location successful Greenfield for hours earlier she arrived home," the DA's bureau says. "It showed Ledesma's telephone was successful the aforesaid portion of Salinas arsenic Martinez's compartment telephone erstwhile her telephone was concisely turned connected to nonstop messages to friends pretending to beryllium her. The information besides showed that Ledesma was not astatine the household enactment astatine the clip Martinez's conveyance was recovered burning."

Before Martinez was killed, she had spent the time "out with friends and her then-boyfriend," according to prosecutors. She went retired drinking successful Salinas, past went to a maize maze with her boyfriend, met up with a person astatine a Salinas restaurant, and headed home.

"Throughout the night, Ledesma was calling and texting Martinez's compartment phone, but she mostly ignored his texts and calls," the DA's bureau says, noting however Ledesma "attempted to transportation Martinez to get backmost unneurotic with him" for months, but she refused.

"As the nighttime progressed, Ledesma became angrier that Martinez was not responding to him," the bureau says. "He told her that his friends were ridiculing him and laughing astatine him."

Ledesma went to Martinez's location successful Greenfield a small aft midnight and waited determination for hours until she arrived astatine the residence astir 3:11 a.m., according to prosecutors. "Martinez arrived backmost astatine her location but did not marque it inside," the DA's bureau says. "She was ne'er seen live again."

Martinez's car and assemblage were recovered the adjacent evening "burning connected the broadside of Highway 198, a fewer miles from Priest Valley Road," according to prosecutors. An autopsy determined that she had died of strangulation.

"Her assemblage was truthful severely burned that she had to beryllium identified by her dental records," the DA's bureau says. "Monterey County Sheriff's Office detectives suspected Ledesma was the slayer owed to suspicious behaviour helium exhibited successful the days pursuing her death, his past of home unit against different partners, and the contented of his substance messages with Martinez that night."

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Ledesma was questioned by constabulary successful 2010 and claimed helium was location the time she disappeared and was astatine a household enactment erstwhile the car occurrence was set. His member "vouched for his alibi," and investigators were incapable to disprove it, the DA's bureau notes.

Martinez's lawsuit was examined again successful 2024 by the office's Cold Case Task Force and experts were brought successful to analyse the telephone data, which led to Ledesma being charged successful February 2025 with Martinez's murder.

A Monterey County assemblage recovered Ledesma blameworthy connected Tuesday. He's owed to beryllium sentenced adjacent period connected March 12, with prosecutors saying helium volition person a mandatory condemnation of 25 years to beingness successful prison.