KEANSBURG, N.J. (1010 WINS) -- A state appeals court on Thursday denied a New Jersey man sentenced to life in prison for raping and killing a girl the chance to appeal.
Andreas Erazo killed 11-year-old Abbiegail "Abbie" Smith, who lived in the apartment below his at the Hancock Arms apartments in Keansburg in July 2017 when he was 18-years-old, officials said.
Smith had been missing for about 13 hours when her body was found on the roof of a shed outside Erazo's window bound and wrapped with stabbings in the neck.
Erazo confessed to detectives he killed Smith, and in 2019, pleaded guilty to murder and rape.
He was sentenced to life in prison later that year.
Erazo, who is now 24, is currently at New Jersey State Prison in Trenton.
In March 2022, an appeals court ruled that detectives did not read Erazo his Miranda rights during the early part of his questioning at the Keansburg police station.
That court suppressed his confession and Erazo would have been allowed to withdraw his guilty plea.
That decision, however, was overturned by the state Supreme Court in June, after determining that Erazo was not in custody when he first spoke to police.
