HACKENSACK — A Bergen County man admitted strangling his ex-girlfriend while their baby slept in a nearby crib.

Mark Spatucci pleaded guilty Friday to murder and hindering apprehension charges more than two years after his arrest. The 25-year-old Midland Park faces a 45-year prison term when he's sentenced July 15.

Bergen County prosecutors say Spatucci's ex-girlfriend, 23-year-old Mary Greff, was found dead at her parents' Waldwick home in October 2013. Authorities have said Spatucci climbed through a window and strangled Greff before he fled out the same window.

Their 9-month-old son wasn't harmed in the incident.

Mary Greff holds her infant son
Mary Greff holds her infant son (WPIX TV)
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Greff had a restraining order against her ex, but before the murder she convinced a judge to lift it, saying she was not afraid of Spatucci.

The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office said Spatucci and Greff had an argument that grew violent and ended with Spatucci choking Greff, leaving her dead on her bed. Her father discovered her several hours later.

Friends told the Bergen Record at the time of his arrest that Spatucci struggled with being a father and began taking drugs and alcohol. Spatucci’s friend T.J. Omelianuk told the newspaper that he was overwhelmed by becoming a father.

Greff and Spatucci initially lived together after their son was born but she had moved back into her parents home after two months. They had encouraged her to return to classes at Lydon State University in Vermont and offered to care for their grandson.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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