A Hall County man pleads guilty to strangling his pregnant girlfriend, killing the woman and her unborn child: Max Sanic is 21 years old, from Gainesville. He’ll serve 30 years in prison for the January death of Juana Jose and her baby.
From WSB TV…
A Gainesville, Ga. man charged with malice murder after strangling a pregnant woman, killing the mother and her unborn child entered a guilty plea in a Hall County court, Tuesday.
Court records show Max Rocael Calel-Sanic, 21, entered the plea and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Calel-Sanic was accused of strangling 22-year-old Juana Jose on Jan. 29, killing Jose and her unborn child, according to Gainesville police.
As previously reported, an autopsy confirmed Jose’s death, and her unborn child, by strangulation.
Calel-Sanic was on the run for more than three weeks after strangling Jose, but turned himself in on Feb. 20, as Channel 2 Action News previously reported.
Previously, Channel 2 Action News reported Jose was taken to the hospital for a medical emergency on Jan. 29, where she was pronounced dead.
After Jose’s death, police said she and Calel-Sanic knew each other but did not clarify their relationship.
“Due to the nature of the call and suspicion surrounding the death, investigators began looking into the case,” police said at the time. “an autopsy revealed that Jose died by strangulation. Sadly, Jose’s unborn child died as a result of the murder.”
While initially charged with malice murder and feticide, Calel-Sanic’s guilty plea reduced the charge to voluntary manslaughter of the mother, voluntary manslaughter of an unborn child, and aggravated assault, according to court records.
According to the guilty plea documents from Hall County court records, Calel-Sanic was sentenced to 30 years in prison, with 15 to be served in confinement.
He will also receive credit for time served starting with the date of his arrest, the records show.