Illegal Immigrant Accused of Suffocating Birthday Girl, Tossing Body in Shallow Grave
An illegal immigrant from Ecuador came to Syracuse, New York, to celebrate the 21st birthday of a girl he knew from his home country.
Now, Jhon Moises Chacaguasay-Ilbis, 21, is charged with killing Joselyn Jhoana Toaquiza and burying her in a shallow grave before skipping town.
Chacaguasay-Ilbis was charged with second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse, then locked up in the Onondaga County Justice Center jail, according to The Post-Standard.
Chacaguasay-Ilbis entered the U.S. illegally in January 2023 at El Paso, Texas, a Homeland Security source said, according to the New York Post.
Our city is mourning the horrific killing of 21-year-old Joselyn Jhoana Toaquiza.
Her family members in Syracuse are working to arrange for Toaquiza to be flown back to Ecuador, where her parents are waiting to bury her. @byfernandoalba has the latest:https://t.co/GoUSON1MMh
— Katrina Tulloch (@katrinatulloch) June 27, 2024
Prosecutor Alphonse Williams said Chacaguasay-Ilbis was staying in an Airbnb near the park where Toaquiza’s body was found on Saturday, The Post-Standard noted.
Williams said the two had a connection from Ecuador, when they attended primary school together.
Video showed Chacaguasay-Ilbis entering the Airbnb around 4:20 p.m. on June 18 with Toaquiza, three hours later, he left, carrying her on his back.
It was unclear from the video if she was alive or dead at the time.
As Chacaguasay-Ilbis carried Toaquiza to the park where her body was found, he passed a police car that did not stop, according to WSYR-TV.
Williams said the Airbnb’s owner claimed blood was found at the home, The Post-Standard reported.
Chacaguasay-Ilbis eventually returned to the Airbnb, left with different clothes on, and took a Lyft minivan to the bus station before hopping a bus to New York City, Williams said.
Chacaguasay-Ilbis surrendered to police on Tuesday in the Rockland County community of Spring Valley, which is about 35 miles northwest of New York City.
Paul Toaquiza, the slain woman’s uncle, said his niece lived with his family, adding that they immigrated from Ecuador last year. The family’s immigration status was not revealed.
At his arraignment Thursday, Chacaguasay-Ilbis, speaking through a Spanish interpreter, said he was under the influence of alcohol and had no memory of the night Toaquiza died, according to WSYR-TV.
Christopher Renna, a coworker of Toaquiza, said the video raised his concerns, according to WSYR.
“I immediately recognized that there was something off about that situation and then, later in the day, when I asked for an update, it showed him coming back from the opposite direction without Joselyn and that… I instantly knew that was not, you know, a good situation,” he said.
WSYR reported that the victim was suffocated.
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