Md. Murder Suspect Sentenced In Immigration Case
BALTIMORE (AP) -- The suspect in the slaying of a Frederick restaurant manager has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for violating a deportation order.
Jose Mejia-Varela, 21, was sentenced in Baltimore Wednesday.
He was ordered to serve 39 months for violating his 2009 removal to El Salvador following an attempted robbery conviction in Frederick County.
In October, Frederick city police obtained a warrant charging him with first-degree murder and armed robbery in the March shooting of Burger King manager Jacinta Ayala.
Frederick County authorities say they'll request local custody so they can prosecute Mejia-Varela while he serves his federal sentence.
He will be deported after serving the federal time and any state sentence.
Mejia-Varela pleaded guilty to the immigration violation in August.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
