Diego Pillco, a construction worker, admitted Thursday he murdered actress Adrienne Shelly in November 2006, the New York Times reports.

In his first declaration, the man had said he and the actress had started an argument over the construction noise, while he was working in the building where she lived. Apparently, the argument turned into a fight, with the woman scratching the worker. As he was an illegal immigrant, he got scared she would call the police, so he punched her and pushed her to the floor. Thinking he had killed her, the man tried to make it seem like suicide, hanging Adrienne from the shower in the bathroom.

In the second declaration that he gave in front of the Court on Thursday, the 20-year-old man completely changed the story. Speaking through a Spanish translator, he explained how the argument between himself and the actress started from a robbery. He had tried to steal Shelly’s purse and she caught him. When she tried to call the police, Diego panicked, grabbed the phone and covered her mouth as she was starting to scream. He then decided to choke her and make it look like the woman had committed suicide.

Pleading guilty for first-degree manslaughter, Pillco was sentenced to 25 years in jail.

Shelly’s husband, Andy Ostroy, her step daughter and other relatives sat quietly in court and refused to make any comments after the trial was finished.

Adrienne Shelly, aged 40, had just finished the movie “Waitress,”about an unhappily married, pregnant waitress, whose only joy is baking pies. She is known for her roles in “The Unbelievable Truth” and “Trust.” She also appeared in off-Broadway plays and television shows.