BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A man accused of killing his wife in Louisiana nearly a decade ago rejected a plea deal that would have prevented the case from going to trial.
Oscar Lozada, 44, turned down an offer Tuesday to plead guilty to manslaughter and obstruction of justice in exchange for a 50-year sentence, The Advocate reported.
Sylviane Finck Lozada, 51, who taught at a high school near Baton Rouge, went missing in July 2011. Investigators believe Oscar Lozada killed her and then disposed of her body. Her remains have never been found.
Around the time of his wife’s disappearance, Oscar Lozada and the couple’s then 4-year-old daughter fled to Venezuela, authorities said. He was arrested in 2018 after authorities located him in Mexico, and was indicted last year.
The plea deal was offered to spare the Lozada’s daughter, who is now 13, from having to endure the trial, prosecutor Dana Cummings said, according to The Advocate.
Oscar Lozada is charged with second-degree murder. The trial was scheduled to begin July 13.
