The man charged with killing a Longmont woman in 2018 after she rejected him and called him a “weirdo” received 48 years in prison Friday.

Juan Figueroa Jr. pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping in connection with the death of Rita Gutierrez-Garcia. He agreed to a sentence of 48 years for the murder charge and 12 years for the kidnapping charge, each with five years of mandatory parole.

Since 2019, Figueroa has been serving a sentence of 93 years to life in prison in a separate case for attempted murder and sexual assault.

Gutierrez-Garcia went missing in March 2018 after last being seen in downtown Longmont. Authorities found her body April 28 in Weld County, and a DNA analysis confirmed her identity.

Remains of woman missing since 2018 recovered

Gutierrez-Garcia was last seen at 2:30 a.m. March 18, 2018, by her friends near a bar in downtown Longmont. Grand jurors who originally indicted Figueroa last year on charges of first-degree murder and second-degree kidnapping relied on statements acquired through a court-authorized wiretap in prison that caught Figueroa telling his cellmate that he strangled Gutierrez-Garcia and disposed of her body. He said he first punched the “missing woman” after she called him a “weirdo.” He then strangled Gutierrez-Garcia, according to the indictment.

Prosecutor Katharina Booth said Figueroa was attracted to Gutierrez-Garcia and tried to talk to her, but she declined. He attacked when he saw her walking alone and claimed he offered her a ride.

“This defendant does not deserve leniency. And some would even say that he does not deserve this plea agreement, because he doesn’t,” Booth said.

“Why we are here is because it was about Rita.”

During Friday’s sentencing, Booth painted Figueroa as a psychopath bereft of a moral compass. Members of Gutierrez-Garcia’s family who spoke in court echoed the “weirdo” phrase in their statements, saying she had been right about Figueroa.

They described Gutierrez-Garcia as someone with a bright future who charmed people around her with her humor. She had three sons and was known for her love of fashion, especially shoes.

“Rita will never be forgotten. She will be remembered for her beauty and laughter. Her light will continue to shine,” said her sister, Nicole Romero.

Figueroa cried when he spoke on his own behalf, saying he did not pursue Gutierrez-Garcia that night intending to kill her. He was on an hours-long bender of alcohol and cocaine, he said, and snapped when she rejected him.

“I understand that what I did was wrong. I’m not happy for it,” he said.

“People can sit here and they just say I’m a monster. … I simply was out that night to sell drugs, because I’m struggling.”

Figueroa said that if a police officer he came in contact with shortly before he killed Gutierrez-Garcia had arrested him, he believes he would be facing only a DUI case and never would have killed her.

Judge Thomas Mulvahill dismissed the idea that the officer not arresting Figueroa for driving drunk changed the course of his life. He told Figueroa there’s no rational explanation for killing an innocent woman who had the bad luck of coming across him that night.

“You changed your life. You changed your life when you killed Rita Gutierrez.”

Denver Gazette reporter David Mullen contributed to this report.