EAST HAVEN, Conn. — An arrest has been made in connection to the murder of Lizzbeth Aleman-Popoca.
Tensions and emotions ran high at New Haven Superior Court Monday morning where Jonathan Jara-Aucapina was arraigned for the muder of 27-year-old Lizzbeth Aleman-Popooca. Lizzbeth was found dead on July 15th in a shallow grave behind Lomonaco’s in Branford where her longtime boyfriend Jara worked. She had been missing for two weeks before her body was found.
East Haven Police kept the details of the investigation quiet to prevent tipping Jara off of his inconsistent story. Ed Lennon, Chief of Police stated “He used this story to lie to her family, her loved ones, and eventually law enforcement. Her family basically forced him to report her missing”.
After more than 5 months of investigating, Jara was arrested Sunday at Cody’s Diner in New Haven, a moment Lizzbeth’s family has been anxiously awaiting.
Lizzbeth’s sister Yaneth Aleman said “It was about time. We were waiting for 6 months. For the longest….it felt like an eternity. It was a lot to take in. I don’t think anybody has to go through this. It was a lot of anger. It was a lot of sadness. Emptiness. I felt alone”
Lizzbeth’s family does not want her to be remembered by this act of violence, but instead her beautiful spirit. She was a daughter, sister, and most importantly, a mother to an 8-year-old girl.
FOX61 was there as Jara Acupina arrived at court this morning in handcuffs. Inside the courtroom, his attorney urging the judge to reduce his bond to $500,000.00, which ultimately was rejected.
A State Prosecutor said “The defendant charged within the State’s perspective is a calculated homicide. He took extraordinary steps to cover up the crime and avoid prosecution. He has ties to Ecuador, which is his place of birth and I believe after this arrest, he’s a serious flight risk”.
The Judge granted Jara’s Passport to be handed in immediately, and due to the sensitive nature of the ongoing investigation, the State urged to have the arrest warrant sealed for two weeks.
The State Prosecutor explained, “Despite the lengthy nature of this investigation, there are some ongoing efforts of this investigation that can be compromised if all the details of the investigation were to be made public”.
Jonathan Aucapina’s bond has been set at 2 million dollars, and he is due in court again on January 18th.
