DARTFORD MAN GETS LIFE FOR GIRLFRIEND'S MURDER IN PERU
A man has received a life sentence after being convicted of murdering his girlfriend in Peru.Jorge Garay, aged 46 and residing on Hythe Street in Dartford, Kent, was found guilty of killing 37-year-old Karla Godoy between 21 September and 2 October 2022.
The court sentenced him to a minimum of 17 years behind bars, following his conviction at Maidstone Crown Court earlier this month.
Garay strangled Ms.
Godoy and later concealed her body on land owned by his family in Lima, the capital of Peru.
Kent Police reported that Garay claimed his actions were in self-defense, asserting that she had assaulted him with a knife.
When authorities uncovered her body in Peru, they identified her through fingerprint analysis.
The couple had traveled to Peru via Spain after leaving the UK on 15 September 2022.
Ms.
Godoy’s relatives, who live in Honduras and Spain, last communicated with her on 23 September 2022, confirming her plans to visit Spain.
However, she never arrived there.
Garay returned alone to the UK on 4 October 2022, claiming that she had stayed in Spain and that his money and identification had been stolen.
On 12 October, Garay admitted during a phone call that he had killed Ms.
Godoy, explaining that they had argued and that he acted in self-defense.
Kent Police employed powers granted under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, which allows for the prosecution of UK residents for violent acts committed abroad; this is believed to be the first application of these powers within the UK.
Detective Inspector Lee Neiles stated, 'While today’s sentencing cannot undo Karla’s death, I hope it offers some measure of closure and justice for her family.' He further remarked, 'Karla trusted Garay, but he betrayed that trust and took her life, leaving her daughter without a mother and her family without a daughter, sister, or aunt.
Her family continues to mourn her tragic loss, and I hope this case’s conclusion helps them find peace.'
