Lois Colley Murder Suspect Pleads Guilty To Bludgeoning Her To Death With Fire Extinguisher
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Three and a half years after the murder of an 83-year-old woman, there's justice for the family of Lois Colley.
A farm worker admitted Monday in court he killed her with a fire extinguisher.
For the first time, her anguished widower spoke out publicly.
A part-time farmhand who wanted money from Colley will spend 20 years to life in prison for murdering her, CBS2's Tony Aiello reported.
Victor Gomez, a 35-year-old immigrant from Guatemala, admitted he used a fire extinguisher to beat her to death in 2015.
It happened at the Colley family horse farm in North Salem.
After the guilty plea, the victim's husband of more than 60 years could only say a few words before emotions go the best of him.
"All these people on the dais, I met them all before. They worked on this case for three years. And we the family had a tough time... but this will help, thank you," Eugene Colley said.
The suspect fled to Guatemala and then Mexico after the murder, but he was captured after a social media post tipped off state police and the FBI to his location.
Investigators searched relentlessly for the key piece of evidence in the case.
"New York State Police found what appeared to be a pin from a discharged fire extinguisher near her body. In the days that followed they searched the horse farm extensively. They found the extinguisher wrapped in a plastic bag in the pond on their property," Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino said.
The victim's DNA was found on that fire extinguisher.
Lois Colley is described as a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. She loved horses and her garden.
His lawyer said Gomez, who will be sentenced next month, is filled with remorse -- not only for the loss suffered by the Colleys, but the shame inflicted on his own family.
