A man has been found guilty of killing his army reservist girlfriend, even though her body has not been located. Luis Antonio Gomes Akay, aged 39, was convicted this month for the murder of Anna Laura Costa Porsborg, 22, in 2022. The jury took less than three hours to reach a verdict. Gomes Akay now faces a sentence of 25 years to life in prison, with a sentencing hearing scheduled for April 27.
According to court proceedings, the couple traveled from New Jersey to Los Angeles on Christmas Eve in 2022 and stayed at a hotel in El Segundo. They visited various local attractions over the next few days. However, on December 27, they had an altercation after going to a bowling alley.
Upon returning to their hotel, Porsborg vanished without a trace. Her body has yet to be found. A statement from the Los Angeles County DA’s Office revealed that two days later, Gomes Akay was captured on video pulling a large suitcase out of the hotel. Subsequent phone and GPS data indicated that he drove to the Angeles National Forest, where he spent about an hour before returning to the hotel. He then reported Porsborg missing.
The DA’s release highlighted that evidence presented during the trial portrayed Gomes Akay as controlling, jealous, and possessive. Witnesses from Brazil testified that a previous girlfriend of the defendant, Ana Claudia Dos Santos, disappeared in Brazil after ending her relationship with Gomes Akay, and her body was never found.
During the trial, two of Gomes Akay’s friends testified that he frequently made the statement, ‘no body, no crime.’ Porsborg, a native of Brazil, had been communicating with her mother through messages and photos during her trip to LA. When communication abruptly ceased, her mother contacted authorities, who then involved the FBI.
An El Segundo Police Department detective visited the hotel room where Gomes Akay and Porsborg had been staying on December 31, 2022. Gomes Akay claimed that Porsborg had left the hotel on her own after an argument several nights earlier, stating she did not want any further contact.
During a preliminary hearing in 2023, the same detective noted fresh abrasions on Gomes Akay’s hands and marks resembling rug burns near his elbows. Gomes Akay was taken into custody on January 1, 2023, on suspicion of murder.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman expressed satisfaction with the guilty verdict, emphasizing the challenges of ‘no body’ cases due to reliance on circumstantial evidence. Deputy District Attorney Hilary Williams and investigators were commended for their meticulous presentation of the case for justice in Anna’s memory.