Man arrested in murder of Pasadena woman

PASADENA, TX (KTRK) -- The man arrested last night in the murder of a Pasadena woman was supposed to appear in court this morning.

Jose Valentin Noriega, 37, is charged with murder in the death of 24-year-old Pasadena woman Rosio Montoya, whose body was found burning in a field in Pasadena Monday morning. We're told Noriega didn't appear at a scheduled court appearance because of medical reasons.

Noriega was arrested by the Pasadena Fire Marshal's arson division at his southeast Houston home. According to the Pasadena Fire Marshals Office, Noriega was processed in the Pasadena Jail, then transported to the Harris County Jail, where he was booked.

Montoya's body was found burning in a field in Pasadena on Monday morning. Her family told Eyewitness News that she and Noriega had a fight the night before, and she never came home.

Montoya's cause of death is listed as strangulation and blunt force trauma to the head.

His bond has been raised to $70,000