Utah teen, Francisco Daniel Aguilar, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison on Monday for the murder of his 16-year-old girlfriend, Jacqueline “Jacky” Nunez. The judge, Marvin Bagley, expressed shock at Aguilar’s lack of remorse for the crime, according to the Deseret News.
Aguilar, who was 17 at the time of the incident, shot Nunez in the head after injuring her on a remote road. He told the court that he had acted impulsively and out of anger, and that he regretted his actions every day. He claimed that he had only intended to scare Nunez with the gun, not harm her.
However, Judge Bagley challenged Aguilar’s claim of impulsivity, pointing out that Aguilar had shown premeditation by retrieving his father’s 9mm gun and bullets before driving Nunez to the remote location about 200 miles south of Salt Lake City.
When pressed for a better explanation, Aguilar simply repeated that he had acted stupidly and out of anger. The judge, unsatisfied with the response, handed down the maximum sentence after hearing emotional victim impact statements from Nunez’s family.
Nunez’s sister, Rosa, told the court that her sister’s murder was a “life sentence of suffering” for their family and described Aguilar’s actions as “unforgivable and pure evil.”
According to a press release from the Piute County Sheriff’s Office, the young couple had been arguing on the evening of the incident when Aguilar drove them to a remote location. A friend of Nunez’s, McKall Taylor, had tracked the couple to the location. When Nunez tried to flee, Aguilar shot her in the leg, shattering her femur. He then fired at Taylor’s truck, forcing her to flee. Aguilar then shot Nunez in the head.
Aguilar, charged as an adult, pleaded guilty to all five counts against him, including first-degree aggravated murder. Nunez, a beloved student and athlete, is remembered for her love of volleyball and basketball.