A Turlock man has entered a guilty plea I the death of a Modesto man found buried behind a garage in an unincorporated area of Modesto.

Mario Beltran, 31, entered a guilty plea on Feb. 3 to the charges of murder, personal use of a firearm and felony assault for the death of Ricky Cadruvi, 58, of Modesto, according to the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office.

Carduvi had last been seen by his family on Christmas Day 2013. Investigators developed information about his disappearance that ultimately led to the discovery of his remains in a shallow grave on Jan. 16, 2014. The body had been buried behind a garage of a home on Broyles Road, west of Modesto that was owned by Beltran.

Testimony by a then-14-year-old girl at the preliminary hearing indicated that she was present when Beltran shot Cadruvi with a shotgun. When interviewed by police, Beltran admitted that he buried the body but blamed the murder on someone else.

Beltran later changed his plea to guilty. He will be sentenced on March 16 and is expected to receive 20 years to life in state prison.