Suspect in Murderer Held on $10 Million Cash Bail

LEOMINSTER, MA— Vanessa T. Marcotte, a 27-year-old Boston University grad, fought for her life, scratching and clawing at the man who attacked and then murdered her while jogged near here mother's Princeton home on Aug. 7, 2016.

As a result, the attacker's DNA was found on Marcotte's hands. The DNA coupled with an alert State Trooper led to the arrest on Friday of Angelo Colon-Ortiz in connection with the murder, according to Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early.

The 31-year-old Worcester man was ordered held on $10 million cash bail at his arraignment Tuesday (courts were closed Monday due to the holiday) in Leominster District Court on charges of aggravated assault, aggravated assault and battery, and assault with intent to rape.

He was not charged with murder, but prosecutor Jeffrey Travers said at the arraignment that a murder charge will be presented for indictment.

At a press conference on Saturday, where Early announced Colon-Ortiz's arrest, he said, ""We got him.'' Early added that he anticipates there will be a murder charge.

The 27-year-old Marcotte, a Leominster native, was found dead near her mother's home in Princeton on Aug. 7, 2016. An employee at Google's New York City office, Marcotte, an avid runner who has raised money for cancer research, went missing during a jog. A K-9 police dog found Marcotte's body about a half-mile from the home, and investigators say she was last seen on Brooks Station Road that afternoon.

Her body was reportedly naked, her head, hands and feet were were burned. At the time of the murder, investigators said they believed the suspect might have had scratches on his body because Marcotte fought back. Investigators were able to recover DNA on her hands, which was sent for DNA testing.

"It was through her determined fight and her efforts that we obtained DNA of her killer,'' Early said at Saturday's press conference.

In February, police released a profile of the killer, who they described as light-skinned Hispanic man with an athletic build and average height. He is about 30-years-old with a shaved head or short hair. Police believed Marcotte's attacker was driving a dark-colored SUV.

Early credits an alert state trooper who recently spotted a dark-colored SUV matching the description provided by a witness at the crime scene last August and jotted down the license plate number on his hand. The state trooper, who was identified byMassLive.com as Robert Parr, ran the license plate and went to Colon-Ortiz' apartment, but he wasn't home. Parr left a car asking for a return call, but Colon-Ortiz never called.

Parr returned to the apartment the next day and Colon-Ortiz voluntarily submitted to a buccal swab for his DNA. Early confirmed Colon-Ortiz's DNA matched the same obtained from Marcotte's hand.

Authorities allege that Colon-Ortiz was working in the Princeton area at the time of the murder.

Police say they received more than 1,300 tips in this murder, which was Princeton's first murder in decades.

Marcotte's friends and family have started the Vanessa T. Marcotte Foundation to "advocate for a world where women are safe and free to live boldly,'' according to the website.

Marcotte's best friend, Ashley McNiff, ran in the Boston Marathon on Monday in memory of her friend. `

After Marcotte's death, Google issued a statement referring to Marcotte as a "much loved member of the Google team,'' who was known for her "ubiquitous smile, passion for volunteer work and love of Boston sports.''

Photo Credit: Massachusetts State Police