Man convicted of killing girlfriend whose remains were found in trash bag

A man whose dismembered remains of his girlfriend were found in a trash bag along a California trail has been convicted of her murder.

The Alameda County District Attorney's Office announced in a press release Tuesday, July 2, that Joseph Roberts, 43, was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for the murder of Rachel Elizabeth Imani Buckner, 27.

He was credited with 300 days served before being transferred to San Quentin State Prison and was ordered to pay $19,818 in restitution.

His conviction comes nearly two months after he was found guilty of second-degree murder in the case.

On July 20, 2023, officers with the Alameda Police Department responded to a call regarding a report of suspicious circumstances that resulted in the discovery of a woman's dismembered body inside a black trash bag along a waterfront trail on Bay Farm Island in Alameda, a previous press release explained.

The remains were identified as Buckner's on August 29, 2023. Online jail records reviewed by PEOPLE show he was arrested nearly a week later, on September 6, 2023.

According to the district attorney's office, police were able to link Roberts to the crime after his DNA was found on a piece of duct tape used to seal the bag.

The prosecutor's office said in a previous statement that he and Buckner first met at Golden Gate University Law School in 2019 and shared an apartment together. Los Angeles Timesthe two were also engaged at the time of Buckner's death.

“Police reports show that Pleasanton police officers were called to the apartment for multiple welfare checks and domestic violence calls. Although Ms. Buckner was living with Mr. Roberts at the time of her disappearance, evidence shows that he never reported her missing,” the district attorney’s office said.

“While we hope this sentence provides a sense of closure, no punishment can ever undo what Joseph Roberts did to Rachel and the lasting impact it will have on her family,” District Attorney Pamela Y. Price said in a statement after Roberts was sentenced.

“Words cannot begin to describe how Rachel Imani Buckner’s family must be feeling right now after their loved one was tragically taken from them in such an unthinkable way,” Price added.

In a GoFundMe fundraiser created after Buckner's death, her mother remembered her as a “beautiful, radiant light” who “had an infectious spirit that made you smile and gravitate toward her.”

The tribute added that Bucker “was an accomplished woman on her way to becoming an exceptional professional” who “was at the beginning of her life and journey and still had so much life to live.”

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“Imani is survived by her grandmother, mother, older brother, younger brother, young daughter, aunt sister and a number of other beloved members of her extended family,” the tribute added.