TOWN OF GRAFTON, Wis. - An Ozaukee County judge sentenced Miguel Aponte on Monday, March 9, to life in prison in connection with the death of Laeng Sanavongsay, whose body was found in a rental car in the town of Grafton in March 2023.
A jury found Aponte guilty in January of first-degree intentional homicide and felony bail jumping. Aponte was found not guilty of mutilating a corpse – and a charge of false imprisonment was dismissed on the prosecutor's motion, online court records show.
Case details
The backstory:
The Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office said Sanavongsay, a 49-year-old man believed to be from Texas, was shot to death. He was found in a rental car on the side of County Highway C near Tallgrass Drive in the Town of Grafton.
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Court documents said a deputy found Sanavongsay's body in the back seat of the car. The victim had tape over his mouth, binding marks on his wrists and a bullet in his head.
An investigation revealed the inside of the car was on fire for a short time. According to the sheriff's office, the victim had no ties to Ozaukee County. The car had been rented out of Illinois.
Homicide investigation
Dig deeper:
Nearly seven months after Sanavongsay's body was found, prosecutors charged Aponte after DNA matches were found in the rental car.
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Investigators also used data from the car and Sanavongsay’s cellphone to track the victim's movements the day before he was found dead, from O'Hare in Chicago to an area near I-43 and Capitol. Prosecutors said the victim's phone was also placed in an area consistent with where Aponte lived.
2023 Grafton homicide, man found guilty at trial
An Ozaukee County jury convicted a man of killing Laeng Sanavongsay, whose body was found in a rental car in the town of Grafton in 2023.
The Source: Information in this post was provided by Wisconsin Circuit Court Access and the criminal complaint associated with this case.