A Utah teen shot his 16-year-old girlfriend to death and attempted to kill a family friend. Now, he will remain behind bars for decades.
Piute County Judge Marvin Bagley sentenced Francisco Aguilar, 18, to 25 years to life in prison for the shooting death of Jacqueline “Jacky” Nunez. Though Aguilar was a minor, the defendant was charged as an adult due to the violent nature of the case. Aguilar pleaded guilty to aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, aggravated assault, and aggravated assault.
“You have a choice when you go to prison. You can join a gang (and) … you can continue to [commit] crimes. If you do, you’ll never leave. You’ll be there for the rest of your life. Whether you get out after 25 years … whether you get out at all, it’s gonna depend on you,” said Judge Bagley to the defendant after handing down the sentence, according to KSL-News Radio 102.7FM.
A day prior to Jan. 8, 2023, Nunez’s family became concerned when the victim never came home. As a result, they reached out to a friend to help find her. Soon, Nunez was found with Aguilar in a remote location on Doc Springs Road, about four miles north of Circleville. According to prosecutors, upon the friend's arrival, Nunez dashed towards the vehicle while she screamed for help. Then, the defendant shot the victim in the leg and shattered her femur before attempting to kill the friend by shooting at her car multiple times and shattering the window. Immediately, the friend abandoned Nunez for her safety and drove off, while Aguilar walked up to the victim in the middle of the road and fatally shot her in the head.
"We are currently dead while we walk alive, especially me. There's not one day that goes by where I stop thinking about my princess," said Jacky’s mother, Irma Nunez, as she described the hole left in her heart in Spanish while her daughter translated to the court, reported FOX 13.
The defendant apologized to the family and told the court he was ready to serve whatever sentence the court imposed on him. The motive for the killing remains unclear, and Aguilar refuses to provide one despite being asked by the judge.
The defendant was spared the death penalty since he committed the crime while he was a minor.
Family members described Nunez as a person who enjoyed life and always found the good in people.
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