An Arizona man has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of his estranged girlfriend, who police say was beaten and left in the cold before she died.
The Arizona Daily Sun reports that Vaughn Seumptewa entered the plea Friday in Flagstaff. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault against a health care professional stemming from two separate incidents.
Police accuse Seumptewa of throwing Nicole Joe to the ground and hitting her multiple times on Christmas Eve of 2017 after she asked to be let into a Flagstaff apartment.
After the assault, police say Seumptewa returned to the apartment and locked the door, leaving Joe outside for hours.
His sentencing hearing is set for Nov. 28.
