Who was the suspect convicted in LaJoya McCoy's slaying?

LaJoya McCoy's ex-boyfriend, Jose Roberto Turner, who was also the father of her two children, was linked to her June 2015 murder using DNA evidence found at the crime scene and underneath her fingernails.

LaJoya disappeared after June 9 and was only found dead inside her abandoned car a week later. She had been stabbed multiple times and was strangled to death using a rope or a cord.

Jose was arrested on August 27 and had been the primary suspect since the initial stages of the investigation after multiple clues pointed towards him as the possible killer. He was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to 26 years to life in prison.

According to the California Department of Corrections, Jose Roberto Turner is currently serving time at the North Kern State Prison.

Oxygen's Dateline: Unforgettable revisited LaJoya McCoy's strangulation death in an episode titled The Dead of Night, which aired on Wednesday, August 2, 2023.

The official synopsis for the episode reads:

"A mother of two vanishes in Monrovia, Calif.; as detectives investigate, the woman's loved ones reveal that she feared she was being stalked; for Josh Mankiewicz, cases like these are all too familiar, and that's a tragedy he just can't shake."

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LaJoya McCoy's jealous ex-boyfriend Jose Roberto Turner was found guilty of stabbing and strangling her

According to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, a jury convicted 49-year-old Jose Roberto Turner of first-degree murder in LaJoya McCoy's murder on June 19, 2017. They found him guilty of using a rope to strangle the victim to death on June 10, 2015.

LaJoya, 31, had been missing for a week when her body was found inside her abandoned car parked in the 200 block of West Cypress Avenue in Monrovia, about a mile away from her apartment during a grid search on June 16. She had been stabbed and strangled.

Jose and LaJoya were together for about a decade and shared two children before the latter broke it off two years prior to the murder. Jose, who wasn't happy about their break-up, had started stalking the young mother.

Suspicion first fell on Jose after LaJoya's family and friends informed detectives that she had been concerned about her well-being before the incident, as per The Cinemaholic. A casetext report mentioned DNA found from the bloodstains inside LaJoya's house was also Jose's.

In the days leading up to the murder, multiple alarming events had occurred, including one instance when her tires were slashed and a second time when she felt that there was someone inside her house.

The outlet reported that Jose had even written about killing LaJoya in his journal. Moreover, detectives found a bloodied note inside the victim's car in which she alleged that her ex-boyfriend was stalking her.

NBC Los Angeles reported that Deputy District Attorney Fernanda Barreto alleged Jose Roberto Turner had previously threatened LaJoya McCoy's life following their breakup. Moreover, other allegations suggested that she had been afraid of him for years prior to the murder.

Prosecutors also alleged that the former couple were in the midst of a bitter custody battle over their two children at the time of the murder, as per the Los Angeles Times.

The guilty verdict was later followed by a life sentence with the possibility of parole after serving a minimum of 26 years. Jose is currently serving his sentence at the North Kern State Prison in Delano and will become eligible for parole in September 2033.