A Lawrenceville man who admitted strangling his ex-girlfriend and then burning her body inside a car has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors said 32-year-old Jahir Sagahon pleaded guilty to malice murder in the 2023 killing of 28-year-old Rubi Maldonado-Nava, closing the door on any chance he will ever walk free.
How prosecutors say it unfolded
The case began with a welfare check at Maldonado-Nava’s home on March 23, 2023. Officers were called out when loved ones could not reach her, and detectives eventually zeroed in on Sagahon as a suspect, according to Atlanta News First.
Prosecutors said Sagahon later told investigators he put Maldonado-Nava’s body in a vehicle, drove to Oglethorpe County and stuffed a gasoline-soaked rag into the gas tank before setting the car on fire, according to Atlanta News First.
Evidence presented at the hearing
At the plea hearing, the court heard that officers found Sagahon suffering from severe burns on his face and hands. Digital records also showed he had searched online for chloroform and “how to strangle someone” before the killing, FOX 5 Atlanta reported.
Prosecutors told the court that Sagahon brought his then 3-year-old son with him to a Home Depot, where he bought a two-gallon gas can that investigators later linked to the arson, according to FOX 5 Atlanta.
Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said the punishment was necessary for accountability. “This defendant took a mother away from her child,” she told the court. The sentence followed what prosecutors described as a non-negotiated guilty plea to malice murder that removed any possibility of parole, according to Atlanta News First.
Legal outcome and next steps
The judge imposed life in prison without the possibility of parole, formally closing the criminal case and ensuring Sagahon will never be eligible for release, FOX 5 Atlanta reported. Prosecutors said the non-negotiated plea eliminated the need for a jury trial and spared Maldonado-Nava’s family from reliving the details in open court.
Assistant District Attorney Gaby Benghiat and Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Sabrina Nizam led the prosecution, with support from Investigator Jeff Lamphier and Victim Witness Advocate Sara Gardner, according to On Common Ground News. Law enforcement partners included the Gwinnett County Police Department, the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s Office and the Oglethorpe County Sheriff’s Office.
The life-without-parole sentence brings official closure to a case that started with a worried call for a welfare check in 2023 and has echoed across Gwinnett communities. Local prosecutors said they hope the outcome offers at least some measure of peace to Maldonado-Nava’s family and her young son.
