A 65-year-old man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for murdering his girlfriend in January 2021.

Cecil Noyola was convicted in March of killing Jessica Kennedy and was sentenced this week for second-degree murder and tampering with evidence.

On Jan. 5, 2021, the Phoenix Police Department responded to two calls requesting a welfare check. From an initial investigation, police showed the defendant had been “acting erratically over the course of several days,” according to a release from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

“Upon entering the apartment, police officers found Jessica with a gunshot wound to the head, but no weapon was recovered from the scene.”

After having fled Arizona, Noyola turned himself in, admitting to giving the gun to a friend. It was recovered after the friend was arrested, according to MCAO.

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