A Virginia man convicted in the murder of his five-month-pregnant girlfriend, who was never found, hid her body in a trash compactor, officials now say.

Bethany Anne Decker, a former George Mason University student, was 21 years old when she went missing from her Loudoun County, Virginia apartment in January 2011. Her body was never found but it was learned during a sentencing hearing in a Leesburg courtroom Tuesday that her boyfriend, Ronald Roldan, disposed of the body, according to FOX 5 Washington D.C.

Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office Detective Mark Bush provided details from a recorded interview at the county detention center on Jan. 9, when Roldan explained he hid her body by placing it into a Christmas tree trash bag and then into a trash compactor, WTOP News reported.

This was the first time members of Decker’s family learned what happened to her body.

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Ronald Rodan pleaded guilty to second-degree murder of his former girlfriend, Bethany Anne Decker. (Loudoun County Sheriff's Office)

Roldan pleaded guilty to killing Decker in November 2022, and Judge Alfred Swersky sentenced him to 40 years behind bars on Tuesday. Swersky suspended all but 12-and-a-half years of the sentence, according to WUSA9.

The 12.5-year sentence was part of a guilty plea deal that includes admittance to the murder.

"On behalf of Loudoun County and our office, I extend my deepest condolences to the family of Bethany Decker. We appreciate their patience and support," the Commonwealth’s Attorney Buta Biberaj said. "We are grateful for the efforts of Detective Mark Bush and our partnership with the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office. Our offices spent thousands of hours, including nights and weekends, to build the best case possible, which led to this resolution. We are proud to bring justice for Bethany."

A photo of the Dulles South Public Safety Sheriffs Office in Loundoun County, Virginia. This facility is unrelated to the contents of this report. (Tracy A. Woodward/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

According to the report, Decker first went missing on Jan. 29, 2011, and it was not until November 2020 that Loudoun County deputies announced plans to charge Roldan with abduction.

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That charge was later upgraded to second-degree murder.

Roldan was serving time in North Carolina for another domestic incident when was charged in connection to Decker's disappearance and death. 

Bethany Anne Decker first went missing on Jan. 29, 2011. It was later learned that she had been murdered.

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He was brought back to Virginia for the conviction, FOX 5 reported.

Prosecutors said Roldan never called 911 or attempted to save her life, WUSA reported.

Family members described Roldan as abusive and the victim’s grandmother, Evelyn Bayles, said the family was concerned because Roldan was "very controlling, and that included threatening her and our family," WTOP News reported.