Tricia McCauely (Via YouCaring)

A 30-year-old man has pleaded guilty to first-degree felony murder in D.C. Superior Court on Wednesday for sexually assaulting and strangling a yoga teacher last Christmas.

Duane Johnson (alternately known as Adrian Duane Johnson) agreed to a plea in which he would serve 30 years in prison and, upon his release, be required to register as a sex offender for the duration of his life for the murder of Tricia McCauley. The court must still approve of the deal and sentencing is scheduled for November 17.

McCauley, a beloved 46-year-old actress, wellness coach, and yoga instructor who lived in Bloomingdale, went missing on Christmas Day, and members of the community embarked on a search to find her.

A day later, her car was found in the West End in front of a pharmacy. D.C. police officers apprehended Johnson inside the pharmacy with the keys to her car and several of her credit cards. Officers discovered McCauley’s body in the car. He was arrested on scene and has remained in custody since then.

According to the facts submitted at the plea hearing, McCauley was en route to a holiday party in her car when Johnson entered her vehicle. He sexually assaulted her as she tried to fight him off, fracturing her nose as she kicked and punched him. Johnson used a scarf she was wearing to strangle her, and then moved her body to the back seat of the car.

Following her death, friends started a memorial fund in McCauley’s honor to provide theater professionals with health insurance. “She was one of the truest extroverts that I knew, she really thrived with people,” says Ann Mezger, who launched Tricia’s Fund.