Vanessa Marcotte Murder Suspect Held on $10 Million Cash Bail

LEOMINSTER, MA— A 31-year-old FedEx driver from Worcester is being held on $10 million cash bail in connection with the 2016 slaying of Vanessa T. Marcotte, a Leominster native, whose naked and burned body was found in the woods near her mother's home in Princeton.

In Leominster District Court on Tuesday, Angelo Colon-Ortiz was ordered held on the high bail after pleading not guilty to charges of aggravated assault, aggravated assault and battery, and assault with intent to rape.

Defense attorney Edward Ryan agreed to the prosecutor's bail request, but tried to dispel issues around his client's immigration status by noting that Colon-Ortiz is a U.S. Citizen from Puerto Rico, who has lived in the Worcester area since June of 2016 when he started working for FedEx.

Ryan described Colon-Ortiz , who is married with children, as having "deep roots in the community.''

While investigators continue to probe Colon-Ortiz's immigration status, Ryan told Judge Mark Noonan that his client has no aliases, no criminal record and no detainers against him by Immigration Customs Enforcement or Homelands Security.

Ryan said his client, who only speaks Spanish, is in "shock and afraid'' of what is happening to him.

As members of Marcotte's family sat silently in the courtroom, Colon-Ortiz stood behind his attorney Edward Ryan as he listened to prosecutor Jeffrey Travers explain that Colon-Ortiz has not been charged with murder, but a murder charge will be presented for indictment.

During the court hearing, Travers explained that Marcotte was found dead near her mother's Brookes Station Road home in Princeton at around 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 7, 2016. She was naked with burn marks on her head, feet and hands. An autopsy showed she suffered a fractured nose and "crushing injuries'' to her throat.

When Marcotte, an employee at Google's New York City office, failed to return from her run by 5:30 p.m. to travel to New York, her family called the police. Travers said Marcotte carried a cell phone when she ran. Her cell phone records show the phone was shut off at 2:11 p.m., Travers said.

Police say that 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.

Travers said investigators recovered what they believed to be the suspect's DNA under Marcotte's fingernails because she fought back.

"It was through her determined fight and her efforts that we obtained DNA of her killer,'' Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said at press conference Saturday at which he announced Colon-Ortiz's arrest.

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 was said to be about 30-years-old with a shaved head or short hair.

After reaching out to the public for help and receiving about 1,300 tips, Travers said that one person reported seeing a dark Ford Escape on the side of the road in the area where Marcotte's body was found. The car's hood was up and a dark-skinned male was talking on his cell phone.

When the tipster drove past the same spot at around 2:05 p.m., the SUV was still there will the hood down and car doors shut.

In court, Travers credits State Trooper Robert Parr, who was part of the murder investigation, for spotting a dark-colored SUV being driven by someone who matched the DNA profile and jotted down the license plate number on his hand.

Parr ran the license plate number and went to Colon-Ortiz' apartment, but he wasn't home. Parr left his business card with Colon-Ortiz's wife.

Parr returned to the apartment the next day and Colon-Ortiz voluntarily submitted to an oral swab for his DNA. The results were a match of 1 to 1 quadrillion, Travers said.

Colon-Ortiz was arrested last Friday at his residence, followed by a press conference with Worcester DA Joe Early, who opened the conference with, "Good afternoon. We got him."

In February, Early's office announced that it had received a DNA profile on a person of interest that had been retrieved from a sample from Marcotte's hands, announcing to reporters a description of a Hispanic or Latino male in his 30s with an athletic build, short hair or shaved head and light to medium skin. The man is said to have driven a dark SUV that would have been in the vicinity of the murder that day and would have likely had scratches on his arms, hands and face.

Outside the courthouse, Ryan questioned the "unbelievable stroke of luck'' for the District Attorney's Office that a state trooper investigating the murder would happen to spot an SUV driven by an Hispanic man in Worcester and check on the license plate.

When interviewed by police, Colon-Ortiz told them he was a FedEx driver who delivers in that area during a work shift of 4 a.m. to 11 a.m., Travers said. His cell phone records indicate he was traveling in the Princeton area around the time of the murder, Travers said.

Colon-Ortiz denied knowing Marcotte or having anything to do with her murder, Travers said.

Colon-Ortiz's next court date is a pretrial conference on May 24.

Meanwhile, 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.

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.''

Charlene Arsenault, Patch staff, contributed to this report

Photo of Angelo Colon-Ortiz by Lisa Redmond/lisa.redmond@patch.com.