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Police: Cornell University Senior From Md. Strangled To Death By Boyfriend

ITHACA, N.Y. (AP) -- A support meeting is scheduled for Monday afternoon at Cornell University in the wake of the death of a 23-year-old senior engineering student.

The body of Shannon Jones, of Potomac, Md., was found Thanksgiving Day in an apartment just off the Cornell campus in Cayuga Heights.

Authorities say the woman's boyfriend, 32-year-old Benjamin Cayea, allegedly strangled her. He was arrested Thursday night and a Tompkins County sheriff's investigator says Cayea admitted to killing Jones after an argument earlier in the day.

Cayea was arraigned early Friday on second-degree murder charges in the Village of Cayuga Heights Court. His court-appointed attorney entered a plea of not guilty.

Cayea is being held without bail in Tompkins County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday night.

(Copyright 2014 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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