The Latest: Psychologist sentenced for California killing

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on the sentencing of a former psychology professor in the 1995 killing of a man she says raped her (all times local):

11:45 a.m.

A former psychology professor has been sentenced to six years in prison for the 1995 killing of a man she says raped her when she was a college student in California.

Norma Patricia Esparza did not speak during her sentencing Friday in Orange County Superior Court.

The 41-year-old pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter nearly two years ago in a deal with prosecutors.

Authorities say Esparza pointed out Gonzalo Ramirez at a bar in 1995 to her former boyfriend Gianni Van and others who kidnapped and killed him. Ramirez's body was found by the side of a road in Orange County in 1995 but the case went cold for years.

Esparza was arrested in 2012 on a trip to the United States. She had been living in France and teaching at a university in Switzerland.

Van was sentenced last year to life without parole for Ramirez's murder.

___

9:01 p.m.

A psychologist is expected to be sentenced to six years in prison for the 1995 killing of a man she says raped her while she was a college student.

Norma Patricia Esparza is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday in Orange County Superior Court along with two co-defendants.

Esparza pleaded guilty in 2014 to voluntary manslaughter in exchange for a six-year sentence for the killing of Gonzalo Ramirez.

Authorities say Esparza pointed out Ramirez at a bar in 1995 to her former boyfriend Gianni Van and others who kidnapped and killed him.

Ramirez's bloodied body was found by the side of a road in Irvine, California, but the case went cold for years.

Esparza became a psychology professor. She was arrested in 2012 while visiting the United States from France.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Related topics