Salem man charged with murder in ex-girlfriend’s death

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A Salem man accused of fatally shooting his former girlfriend and fleeing toward Canada has been transported back to Oregon to face a murder charge.

The Statesman Journal reports (http://stjr.nl/2eVioGJ ) that 23-year-old Cristian Acosta appeared in Marion County Circuit Court Wednesday on charges of aggravated murder with a firearm and endangering a person protected by a restraining order.

Twenty-year-old Lucia Pamatz was found shot dead inside a Salem apartment on Sept. 19.

Authorities later found and arrested Acosta near the Canadian border in Whatcom County.

Acosta had pleaded guilty to assaulting his ex-girlfriend in August and was on probation for the crime when Pamatz was killed.

In a restraining order against the suspect, Pamatz said Acosta made her fear for her life and her family.

Acosta remains jailed without bail.

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Information from: Statesman Journal, http://www.statesmanjournal.co