Killer of Gay Puerto Rican Teen Gets 99 Years in Jail

The man charged with the brutal murder of gay Puerto Rican teen Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado (pictured) pleaded guilty Wednesday after confessing to the crime last week. He was given an immediate sentence: 99 years in prison.

Juan Jose Martinez Matos said he understood the consequences of his actions. Matos confessed to dismembering and decapitating Mercado and partially burning his body in November 2009.

"We are able to find a bit of peace in this aspect, but it still not going to return Steven," the victim's mother, Myriam Mercado, said in a statement. "But at least there is justice in Puerto Rico."

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