PHOENIX, AZ – Cecil Noyola, 64, has been convicted this week for the murder of his girlfriend, Jessica Kennedy, which occurred over three years ago in a north Phoenix apartment. Noyola is now facing a considerable prison sentence for his actions.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a statement, “This defendant shot his girlfriend, left her to die, and then did everything possible to avoid being held accountable.” She expressed hope that Jessica knows that there was a lot of hard work invested into the case over the course of three years.
Police were called late at night on Jan. 5, 2021, to an apartment complex near 35th Avenue and Bell Road following reports that Noyola had been behaving erratically for several days. In the apartment, officers discovered Kennedy dead from a gunshot wound to the head.
At that point, both Noyola and the murder weapon were missing and police were unable to locate them.
Further investigations later revealed that Noyola had fled Arizona before returning to surrender himself. He also admitted having handed over the gun used in the murder to a friend, and this was later recovered by the authorities.
Having been found guilty of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence, Noyola is set to be sentenced on May 20.