17 year old who pleaded guilty to killing girlfriend gets maximum sentence

PIUTE COUNTY, Utah — 17-year-old Francisco Aguilar who pleaded guilty to shooting and killing his girlfriend in January was sentenced Monday to serve 25 years to life in prison. This is the maximum sentence possible for Aguilar.

During the sentencing, the mother of victim Jacky Nunez-Millan gave a tearful statement in Spanish. Nunez-Millan’s sister translated.

“There is not one day that goes by where I stop thinking about my princess,” Nunez-Millan’s sister said, translating for her mother. “We are currently dead while we walk alive.”

Aguilar’s head remained bowed during all the testimonies before he addressed the court.

“I would just like to apologize for all the pain and suffering I’ve caused,” he said. “There’s no one to blame for this tragic situation. I take full responsibility for my actions, and I will do the time given to me without causing any further problems.”

Judge Marvin Bagley had one final piece of advice for Aguilar before he was taken away.

“You have a choice when you go to prison,” Bagley said. “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.”

Following this, Aguilar was escorted out in handcuffs to begin his sentence.

Devin Oldroyd contributed to this story.

Further reading

• Teen charged as adult in fatal shooting of girlfriend in Piute County
• Piute County teen pleads guilty to the aggravated murder of his girlfriend
• 16-year-old shot dead in Piute County, 17-year-old suspect in custody