FREEHOLD — A Neptune man will be sentenced to 30 years in jail with no eligibility for parole after he pleaded guilty to the murder of a Long Branch woman.

On Aug. 15, Antonio Arroyo, 53, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder before state Superior Court Judge Paul F. Chaiet. The charges pertain to the Oct. 20, 2007, death of Lateea Holmes, 25, of Long Branch.

A plea agreement was entered that calls for Arroyo to be sentenced to a 30-year prison term. The agreement was reached after consultation with and approval from the victim's family.

Arroyo remains in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, Freehold Township, in lieu of $1.5 million bail. He is scheduled to be sentenced by Chaiet on Sept. 12.

An investigation revealed that on Oct. 20, 2007, at approximately 12:20 p.m., officers from the Neptune Township Police Department were dispatched to a wooded area in the vicinity of West Bangs Avenue in Neptune Township following a report of a deceased female having been discovered there by an Avon off-duty police officer, according to police reports.

Upon arrival, officers found Holmes' partially clothed body lying near a dirt path.

The Monmouth County Medical Examiner's Office pronounced the victim dead at the scene. An autopsy performed by the Medical Examiner's Office revealed that her death was caused by strangulation and sharp force injury to her neck.

A cooperative investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office and the Neptune Township Police Department revealed that the victim's body had been placed earlier that morning at the site where it was discovered.

Arroyo was arrested at his residence on Oct. 21, 2007.

"The sentence contemplated by this plea agreement will ensure that the public is protected from Antonio Arroyo," Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis A. Valentin said.

Valentin also commended the Neptune Township and Avon police departments and the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office for thorough investigation, which led to Arroyo's arrest.