Carlos Ortiz is accused of strangling his girlfriend during an argument in Ewing
TRENTON - A man accused of strangling his girlfriend the cord of a cell phone charger and trying to hide her body told another person about the killing before he was arrested, Mercer County prosecutors said Thursday.
Carlos Ortiz, 50, was in court Thursday for a bail hearing during which a judge decided to maintain his bail at $1 million. He is charged with murder and two counts of possession of a weapon.
Assistant Prosecutor Skylar Weissman said Ortiz and his girlfriend, Rufina Castro, 51, got into an argument at her home on the 300 block of Ewingville Road. Ortiz pulled out a glass beer bottle and hit Castro in the back of the head before using the cord of a cell phone charger to strangle her, Weissman said.
Man charged with strangling girlfriend
Authorities have said Ortiz then tried to hide his girlfriend's body under a pile of clothes and blankets in the bedroom before leaving the house.
Weissman said Ortiz told another person about the killing and said that he had "made a mistake." That person called police to tell them about Ortiz's confession and give them information on his location.
Ortiz was arrested and charged on Aug. 18, a day after Castro's body was discovered. He has multiple prior convictions, including robbery and theft and a school zone offense, Weissman said.
He was being held on a $1 million bail Thursday.
Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman.