by STEVE HAN
A jury found Kwang Chol Joy guilty of one felony count of second degree murder after the 55-year-old Santa Ana man was convicted of murdering his Army veteran roommate and disposing her body in a canyon, according to the Orange County District Attorney office.
Joy had been living at his home in Orange with his roommate Maribel Ramos, a 36-year-old Army veteran who served two combat tours in Iraq. Ramos was also a student at California State University, Fullerton.
The two were reportedly arguing over Joy’s unpaid rent. Joy murdered Ramos sometime between May 2 and May 3 of last year and disposed her body in Santiago Canyon, the press release said. Joy is facing a maximum of 15 years to life in state prison.
Ramos was last seen alive on surveillance camera as she was dropping off a rent check at the manager’s office. The Orange Police Department began investigating on May 3 when her friends reported her missing.
On May 16, police found the victim’s body in a shallow grave after Joy was seen at the Orange Public Library & History Center where a computer he used showed that he conducted several web searches about the human body decay process and used a satellite map website to zoom in on a location of Santiago Canyon.
Joy was arrested at the police station on May 17.
