Conn. woman sentenced for killing victim whose headless body was found in state park
08/18/2023 12:31 pm PDT
WATERBURY, Conn. (TCD) -- A judge sentenced a 26-year-old woman to 25 years in prison for her role in the stabbing death and beheading of a woman whose body was found in a state park in 2020.
The Waterbury State’s Attorney’s Office announced a judge handed Casandra Nazario a 50-year sentence with 25 years suspended after she pleaded guilty in April to murder, first-degree burglary, and tampering with evidence for the death of Rachel Lerato Sebetlela.
Nazario’s co-conspirator, Miles Johnson, was convicted in April of murder, first-degree burglary, tampering with evidence, conspiracy to commit burglary, and conspiracy to commit tampering with evidence. Nazario agreed to testify against Johnson at his trial as part of her cooperation with prosecutors.
According to the State’s Attorney’s Office, Sebetlela was stabbed in the torso several times at her home in Waterbury on July 10, 2020. Two months later, on Sept. 12, 2020, a person hiking in Black Rock State Park found a "headless body wrapped in blankets and garbage bags."
Sebetlela’s feet, legs, and wrists were bound with duct tape, the statement said.
Nazario said at Johnson’s trial they "spent the day preparing for the murder," which included buying black clothing and a knife.
Johnson was sentenced to 55 years in prison.
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