Illegal immigrant admitted to killing woman on her 21st birthday

An illegal immigrant admitted to strangling a woman on her 21st birthday, then dragging her body past a police cruiser and burying her in the woods. 

Jhon Moises Chacaguasay-Ilbis, 21, pleaded guilty in a Syracuse court Tuesday to second-degree murder in the June 18 slaying of Joselyn Jhoana Toaquiza, Onondaga County Assistant District Attorney Rob Moran told WSYR.

In exchange for a guilty plea, Judge Ted Limpert agreed to sentence the killer to no more than 25 years to life behind bars, the outlet reported.

A source from the Department of Homeland Security recently told the New York Post both Chacaguasay-Ilbis and Toaquiza were in the U.S. illegally. Both are from Ecuador and had known each other since primary school, according to the outlet. 

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Jhon Moises Chacaguasay-Ilbis and Joselyn Jhoana Toaquiza. (Metro Ecuador)

Prosecutor Alphonse Williams told The Post-Standard of Syracuse the suspect was staying at an Airbnb at the time of the murder. He reportedly traveled to see Toaquiza on her 21st birthday.

Eerie surveillance footage shows the pair walking into the Airbnb around 4:30 p.m. on June 18. A few hours later, Chacaguasay-Ilbis was recorded carrying a slumped-over Toaquiza on his back. He reportedly used a ligature to strangle the woman.

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Joselyn Jhoana Toaquiza had just turned 21 years old when she was killed. (GoFundMe)

Williams alleged Chacaguasay-Ilbis buried Toaquiza's body in a shallow grave in Lincoln Park before taking a Greyhound bus to New York City. He later turned himself in to the authorities.

Toaquiza's corpse was found on June 22, WSYR reported.

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Jhon Moises Chacaguasay-Ilbis and Joselyn Jhoana Toaquiza were captured on surveillance footage before the June 18 homicide. (WSYR-TV)

Chacaguasay-Ilbis crossed the U.S. border into El Paso, Texas, in January 2023 and was captured, then released because there was no space to hold him, according to the Post. 

Toaquiza crossed into the country in Lukeville, Arizona, a few months later on June 19, 2023, the outlet reported. She told border agents that she was fleeing an abusive partner; it is unclear whether that was her killer. 

Chacaguasay's sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 14, according to online court records. 

Fox News Digital's Andrea Vacchiano contributed to this report.

Christina Coulter is a U.S. and World reporter for Fox News Digital. Email story tips to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..