Man accused of killing, assaulting neighbor

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STEVENS POINT, Wis. (AP) — A Plover man accused of strangling his neighbor last month acknowledged to investigators that he sexually assaulted her dead body before setting the corpse on fire, prosecutors said.

Jose Luis Flores Aca , 33, told detectives he strangled 36-year-old Jamie Koch after she grabbed his arm in their apartment hallway and urged him to come into her apartment to talk, WSAW-TV reported.

Flores Aca was charged Tuesday with three felonies, including first-degree intentional homicide. He was jailed on a $1 million cash bond.

The criminal complaint released Tuesday outlined details of an alleged confession to investigators. Flores Aca told detectives he was angered when Koch grabbed his arm, so he punched her, strangled her and sexually assaulted her corpse, the Stevens Point Journal Media reported.

An autopsy said Koch died of strangulation around midnight Aug. 7.

Flores Aca told detectives he then drove her body to Waupaca County, parked in a field and set the car on fire.

A message left with Flores Aca’s public defender, Sean Drury, on Wednesday was not immediately returned.

Investigators did not identify a motive, but the complaint quoted Flores Aca as saying he was upset that night because his ex-girlfriend wouldn’t answer her phone. He also told detectives he hasn’t been able to control his temper since he was in a traffic accident two to three years earlier.

If convicted of first-degree intentional homicide Flores Aca faces a maximum penalty of life in prison with no chance of parole. Wisconsin does not have the death penalty.

District attorney Louis Molepske noted that as a Mexican citizen, Flores Aca could be deported to Mexico, but the issue would become moot if he’s convicted and sentenced to a life term.

Flores Aca’s preliminary hearing, where a judge will decide whether there’s enough evidence for a trial, is set for Sept. 11.