A man has been sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison for the 2016 murder of Debra Jessep.

Joseph Marrio Alcala was sentenced Feb. 19 after a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder following a trial that began in January 2026, according to the Kings County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities said Alcala was taken into custody the night Jessep was discovered murdered in 2016 and remained in custody throughout the legal process.

After hearing evidence during the trial, the jury returned a guilty verdict, and the court imposed the sentence of 25 years to life, bringing resolution to a case that spanned nearly a decade.

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