Tejeda sentenced to life in prison for strangling murder

April 14, 2016 3:06 pm

By News Staff

Providence man Daniel Tejeda will spend his life behind bars for the murder of Ashley Masi, a mother of three who was working as an escort.

Tejeda was sentenced Thursday to life plus 25 years. He was found guilty of strangling 24-year-old Masi to death in March 2015. Tejeda, who is a 29-year-old Marine reservist, gave conflicting statements to investigators. Prosecutors say that he met Masi through an ad posted on Backpage.com, a website for classified ads.

Tejeda was found to be a habitual offender and was denied possibility of parole.

Tejeda’s attorney argued that detectives didn’t investigate other potential suspects, including an additional 25 men that communicated with Masi before her death.

Masi’s body was found by police in her apartment, near her twin 6-year-old daughters and 7-month-old infant. They have since been placed in state custody.