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SALT LAKE CITY — A man who pleaded guilty to strangling a South Salt Lake woman in her home will spend at least 15 years and possibly life in prison.
Dil Bahadur Magar, 27, was sentenced March 7 after he pleaded guilty last year to murder, a first-degree felony.
Police say Magar strangled Bhoti Subba, 38, in her bed with an electrical cord in July 2015.
Police found Subba's body in the home, 2860 S. 200 East, which showed no sign of forced entry on July 6, 2015. Subba's cousin, who said he normally spoke with the woman once or twice a day, had asked police to check on her after family members had been unable to reach her all weekend.
A DNA profile matching Magar was found on Subba's fingernails, pieces of electrical wire located in a bag in the victim's room and on a soda bottle in the apartment, the charges state. His fingerprints also were found on beer cans in the apartment and on a drinking glass in the woman's bedroom.
Magar was charged in Subba's death in September 2015.
Magar initially told investigators he knew Subba only through his girlfriend and had never called her on the phone or been inside her apartment. However, investigators found an entry for Subba in Magar's contact list on his phone, according to charging documents. They also noted Magar had deleted his call log from before July 4.
Police searched Subba's phone and found 18 call records between the woman and Magar from July 1 to July 4, according to the charges. Activity on Subba's phone ceased after 3 a.m. on July 4.
