A Connecticut man who stabbed and strangled his ex-girlfriend to death was sentenced Wednesday to 35 years in prison.
Corey Ramos, 33, pleaded guilty to murdering Jennifer Brelsford, 40, in her Bridgeport apartment in 2020. Ramos’ sentence was part of a plea deal.
As part of Ramos’ sentence, Judge Tracy Lee Dayton ruled he would never again be able to see the son he and Brelsford shared, the Connecticut Post reported.
“My heart is broken and I’ll never be the same,” Brelsford’s father, Timothy Brelsford, said in a victim-impact statement, according to the CT Post. “I hope you rot in hell,” he told Ramos.
Ramos had a history of violence against Brelsford and other women before he killed her, according to police. Brelsford had obtained two protective orders against Ramos just a few weeks before he killed her.
On Oct. 18, 2020, Brelsford’s mother, Carol Brelsford, called police and said she hadn’t heard from her daughter and was concerned because of Ramos’ prior behavior. Cops responded to Brelsford’s apartment and found her with a purse strap around her throat.
Brelsford had also been stabbed several times in the neck and torso, and her neck had been compressed, according to an autopsy report. Ramos was quickly identified as a suspect.
He was captured on Oct. 19, 2020 as he tried to cross into Canada. Ramos was sitting in his car in line at the border crossing when he panicked, got out and tried to run across on foot, according to police.
Canadian authorities quickly apprehended Ramos. The clothes he was wearing had Brelsford’s blood on them, per investigators. Officers said Ramos admitted to fighting with Brelsford but denied killing her.
Ramos was charged with murder and violating a protective order. In January, he formally pleaded guilty in exchange for the 35-year sentence, which also comes with 10 years of parole. Ramos apologized at Wednesday’s hearing, but Judge Dayton was uninterested, according to the CT Post.
“But for you getting caught as you tried to make your way to Canada you wouldn’t be sitting here,” Dayton said. “The person you claim you loved so much you murdered and left to die.”
