STEVENS POINT, Wis. (WSAU) - The man accused of raping and murdering a woman that lived in the same apartment building was in court Tuesday. 32-year-old Jose Luis Flores Aca made an initial appearance in Portage County Circuit Court. Flores Aca allegedly killed 36-year-old neighbor Jamie Koch after sexually assaulting her August 7th.
Flores Aca appeared by video connection from the jail along with his interpreter. He is charged with first degree intentional homicide, first degree sexual assault causing great bodily harm, and hiding a corpse. Defense attorney Sean Drury moved to waive the time limits for his client’s preliminary hearing. That hearing is scheduled for September 11th at 8:30 a.m. before judge Thomas Flugar.
The defendant remains in jail, unable to post a one million dollar cash bond.
According to the complaint, Flores Aca had a conversation with Koch outside of her apartment at 2551 Chestnut Drive in Plover. At some point, they ended up inside of her apartment, where Flores Aca allegedly punched and strangled Koch before assaulting her. He is accused of wrapping Koch’s body in bed sheets, and putting her in the backseat of her car. Investigators say Flores Aca drove the victim’s car to a Waupaca county farm field and lit the car on fire to destroy evidence, and then had friends give him a ride back to Plover.
Although he used a Spanish interpreter for court proceedings, Flores Aca answered investigators questions after Koch’s death in English. He has also helped other Spanish speaking workers with their English.
If convicted, Flores Aca could spend the rest of his life in prison. If he’s not convicted, he could be deported to Mexico.