California man convicted of murdering missing Army reservist girlfriend

LOS ANGELES - A Los Angeles jury has convicted a man of first-degree murder in the 2022 death of his girlfriend, a U.S. Army reservist whose body was never recovered, during a vacation in Southern California.

What we know:

In December 2022, U.S. Army reservist Anna Laura Costa Porsberg traveled from New Jersey to Los Angeles with Luis Antonio Gomes Akay, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

Following a dispute on December 27, Porsberg was never seen again. 

Surveillance footage captured Akay struggling with a heavy suitcase at their hotel, and GPS data later placed him in the Angeles National Forest for an hour.

During the trial, friends of the defendant testified that he frequently used the phrase "no body, no crime" to suggest he could evade justice.

What we don't know:

The exact location of Porsberg’s remains is unknown.

Despite extensive searches in the Angeles National Forest following the GPS leads, investigators have not been able to recover her body.

While testimony linked Akay to a similar disappearance of a former girlfriend in Brazil, he has not been charged in that jurisdiction.

What they're saying:

"For over three years, Anna’s family and friends have waited for justice," said Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman. "So-called ‘no body’ cases are some of the most difficult to prove because they rely so heavily on circumstantial evidence. I want to thank the investigators who methodically laid out the case piece-by-piece."

What's next:

Akay will remain in custody pending his sentencing hearing on April 27 in Department 80 of the Airport Courthouse. 

He faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in state prison.