Where is Jonnathan Jara-Aucapina now? Details about Crime Junkie podcast subject explored

The story of Lizzbeth Aleman-Popoca, a murder case that riveted listeners of the Crime Junkie podcast, revolves around her long-time boyfriend, Jonnathan Jara-Aucapina. The case reveals the shocking circumstances that led to Aleman-Popoca's death, the mother of Jara-Aucapina's child, and eventually being buried behind a restaurant.

Jara-Aucapina's actions, from the calculated cover-up to the investigation that would ultimately lead to his conviction, have made him a central figure in the Crime Junkie podcast episode titled Murdered: Lizzbeth Aleman-Popoca.

Today, Jara-Aucapina is serving a 25-year prison sentence for his crimes at MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution.

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The murder of Lizzbeth Aleman-Popoca

On July 3, 2020, a boyfriend, Jonnathan Jara-Aucapina, and other family members reported the disappearance of Lizzbeth Aleman-Popoca. Aleman-Popoca was a mother to a little girl and had been residing with Jara-Aucapina in East Haven, Connecticut.

However, the initial report of her disappearance quickly unraveled into a much darker tale.

Crime scene (Representative Photo by cottonbro studio/pexels )

Jara-Aucapina said his girlfriend disappeared when he left for work in the morning of July 1, 2020. Initially, he stated that at 3:15 a.m., Aleman-Popoca was already asleep in bed when he left for work.

But surveillance footage and cell site data revealed that he was utilizing her Lexus well past the time he claimed she vanished.

More probing further led to the revelation that he had purchased a hoe and shovel at a nearby Home Depot a few hours after the girlfriend was nowhere to be found. Further investigation revealed that indeed, Jonnathan Jara-Aucapina had taken Aleman-Popoca's life.

Her remains were found behind a Branford, Connecticut, restaurant where Jara-Aucapina was an employee. This murder was reported to have taken place between late June 30 and the early hours of July 1, 2020. An autopsy confirmed the cause of death as homicidal asphyxia, and the evidence pointed to Jara-Aucapina as the perpetrator.

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The Cover-Up and the Investigation

After Aleman-Popoca was killed, Jara-Aucapina attempted to cover up his crime by creating a false story. He told Aleman-Popoca's family that she had gone to Mexico to marry someone so that she could "fix her papers," which turned out to be a false claim.

He even deceived the police by telling them that he had received a call from his daughter, saying that her mother was missing.

Crime scene (Representative Photo by cottonbro studio/pexels )

However, the investigation soon uncovered his lies. Surveillance camera footage was able to link Jonnathan Jara-Aucapina as driving Aleman-Popoca's Lexus.

Cellphone records placed him close to the location of the restaurant where he would bury her body afterward. His case became complicated further, as he was selling Aleman-Popoca's Lexus hours after the murder.

The break in the case was that a state police cadaver dog gave an alert to the scent of a body in the Lexus and by the dumpsters of the restaurant. It was at this point the police found the shallow grave, and they established the fact that Aleman-Popoca had indeed been buried there.

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Jonnathan Jara-Aucapina was convicted and sentenced

In February 2024, Jonnathan Jara-Aucapina pleaded guilty to Lizzbeth Aleman-Popoca's murder, receiving a 25-year imprisonment sentence. He serves his term in the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution, located in Suffield, Connecticut.

Representative image of arrest (Photo by pexels)

During his sentencing, the New Haven Judicial District State's Attorney John P. Doyle sent his condolences to the Aleman-Popoca family, recognizing the ache that they felt due to this senseless crime. The authorities also commended the efforts of the East Haven Police Department, Connecticut State Police, and FBI for bringing Jonnathan Jara-Aucapina to justice.

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For more details, tune into The Crime Junkie podcast episode.