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Jorge Rueda Landeros Gets 25 Years for 2010 Killing of American University Professor

The sentence fell short of the 30-year maximum because he had no prior record.

Overview

  • Montgomery County Circuit Judge Rachel McGuckian imposed the 25-year term for second-degree murder.
  • The judge noted betrayal of trust and the brutality of the attack as aggravating factors even as she stopped short of the maximum.
  • Prosecutors said his DNA was found on Sue Marcum’s fingernails and on a tequila bottle used to bludgeon her.
  • Investigators said he staged the scene to look like a botched burglary after killing the 52-year-old professor he had taught and sometimes dated.
  • Extradited from Mexico in 2023, he will receive credit for roughly 1,178 days already served, and his lawyers said they will appeal.