Carrero Pleads Guilty to Murdering Girlfriend, Faces Max of 61 Years in Prison

A Pottstown man faces up to 61 years in prison after pleading guilty on Thursday to the murder of his girlfriend following an argument in the victim's apartment on Feb. 2, 2012.

Edwin Carrero II, 33, pleaded guilty to charges of third-degree murder, theft by unlawful taking and access device fraud in connection with the strangulation death of 31-year-old Alicia Schmidt, according to a report by the Pottstown Mercury. The report adds that President Judge William J. Furber Jr. chose to defer sentencing while the court completes a background investigation into Carrero, who faces a maximum of 30.5-to-61 years in prison.

Authorities initially responded to a call from Carrero's ex-wife on Feb. 2, 2012, stating that , and "may have killed [her]." Upon arrival to the couple's home on 424 Cherry Street in Pottstown, police discovered Schmidt's body hidden beneath a rug and other items in the basement. Her two children —ages 7 and 12—were found unharmed in their second-floor bedrooms.

After killing Schmidt, Carrero stole her car, money, and fled to Florida, where he went on a gambling spree, according to previous reports on Patch. After a five-day manhunt, Carrero was found inside the victim's vehicle in the parking garge of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla.

Carrero was then placed in the Broward County Jail while he awaited extradition proceedings.

At a , members of Schmidt's and Carrero's families sat teary-eyed on opposite sides of the courtroom as they listened to graphic descriptions of Schmidt's death. During the hearing, Montgomery County homicide detective Todd Richard testified that during an interview with Carrero, he admitted to choking Schmidt until "she wasn't breathing anymore."

In exchange for Carrero's guilty plea to third-degree murder, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office dismissed their initial charge of first-degree murder, which would have been punishable by life imprisonment, according to reports.

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