FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(New Haven, CT) - Patrick J. Griffin, New Haven State’s Attorney, announced that Jonnathan X. Jara-Aucapina, age 27, of Saint Andrew Avenue, East Haven, was arrested by warrant over the weekend, and arraigned today by the Honorable Brian T. Fischer, on a charge of murder in connection with the death of his domestic partner, age 27, on or about July 1, 2020.
Bond for Jara-Aucapina was set in the amount of $2 million. The case has been transferred to Part A in New Haven, with the next court date scheduled for January 18, 2021.
Jara-Aucapina's domestic partner, the mother of his child, was reported missing to the East Haven Police Department by Jara-Aucapina and her family on July 3, 2020. Following an extensive search by East Haven investigators and the State Police Central District Major Crimes Squad, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, her body was discovered on July 15, 2020, buried in a shallow grave behind the dumpsters in a corner of LoMonaco’s Restaurant parking lot on West Main Street in Branford. During their investigation, detectives learned Jara-Aucapina was a part-time employee of the restaurant.
State’s Attorney Griffin commended the investigative efforts of the East Haven Police Department, the State Police Central District Major Crimes Squad, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation during this long and complex investigation. At this time, the charge against Jara-Aucapina is merely an accusation, and he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.