Man Admits To Killing Hudson Valley Teen Away At College
A Long Island man confessed he killed a Hudson Valley teen in the teen's freshman dorm room.
On Thursday, Michael Roque, 20, of Massapequa rejected a plea deal in a move that surprised his lawyer the Press Connects reports. But on Friday, the 20-year-old pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
In April, 19-year-old Joao Souza was fatally stabbed in Windham Hall at SUNY Binghamton. Police believed the former Westchester County soccer star's murder wasn’t a random act and that the engineering student was targeted.
Shortly after, Roque was identified as the suspect. The Binghamton University student was soon found and arrested.
Details into the killing weren't released, but the Broome County District Attorney's Office indicated they will announce a motive at the sentencing in November.
"We intend to release the motive in the time of sentencing. We'll present that information to the judge because it's relevant to what sentence the defendant should receive and explains what our position is with regards to the sentence," Broome County District Attorney Steve Cornwell, Jr. said according to Fox. "I don't want to get into facts but it was a horrific case."