A 22-year-old Trenton man will spend the next 30 years in prison without parole after being sentenced Thursday in connection with the murder of a 49-year-old woman in 2014.

Jorge Rodriguez pleaded guilty in April to the murder of Keisha L. Alexander, according to Acting Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri.

Authorities say that on June 21, 2014, at 7:40 a.m., police officers responding to a 911 call found Alexander partially clothed and locked in the bathroom of her home. Authorities say she was seated on a toiled, slumped against a wall, covered in blood. She had several puncture wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.

Authorities say Rodriguez suffered a laceration to his arm, and after going to Capital Health Regional Medical Center for treatment with wet, blood-soaked clothing, he was identified as a suspect.

"Rodriguez was interviewed and ultimately confessed to unlawfully entering the residence, stabbing Alexander and stealing property from her home," the prosecutor said.

Rodriguez said he didn't know Alexander previously. Police used evidence from the scene, including a broken knife blade and handle that was covered in blood, as well as DNA testing to confirm that the blood on the weapon and his clothing was a combination of Rodriguez’s blood and the victim’s, the prosecutor said. Police say they also found some of the defendant's possession's inside the victim's home.

“A vast majority of criminal indictments resolve via plea bargain and murder charges are no exception,” the prosecutor said. “Keisha Alexander suffered a brutal attack at the hands of Jorge Rodriguez and this plea agreement guaranteed that he would be sentenced to a state prison term of 30 years, every day of which he will serve with no parole eligibility.”

Toniann Antonelli is a social content producer for NJ 101.5. She can be reached at toniann.antonelli@townsquaremedia.com, or on Twitter @ToniRadio1015.

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