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OC Man Pleads Guilty To Murdering Ex-Girlfriend, Mother Of His Child

SANTA ANA (CBS) — A 44-year-old Garden Grove man pleaded guilty to beating and strangling his ex-girlfriend to death and was sentenced Friday to 15 years to life in prison, according to a prosecutor.

Arturo Tapia Salazar killed 52-year-old Cristina Ramirez, the mother of his young daughter, on Oct. 15, 2010, when she came over to Salazar's apartment and got into an argument with him over child support, Deputy District Attorney Cameron Talley said.

Ramirez was strangled and suffered blows to the head, Talley said. Salazar's blood-alcohol level at the time was .25 percent.

Salazar's family members, who lived in the apartment with him, called 911 and Salazar was arrested on the scene, Talley said.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Craig Robison accepted the plea bargain to charges of second-degree murder and sentenced Salazar, he said.

(©2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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