A Texas mother and her former boyfriend have been found guilty in the tragic death of her 5-year-old son, Domenic Patrick Aguilar-Acevedo, whose body was discovered in a Colorado ravine in 2021.
Nickolle Aguilar, 28, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of injury to a child with serious bodily injury by omission.
Prosecutors argued that Aguilar failed to protect her son from the abuse inflicted by her boyfriend and did not seek medical attention for him.
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Her ex-boyfriend, Daniel Garcia, 29, is also facing sentencing for a similar charge. While the specific charge was not disclosed by the district attorney’s office, reports suggest he was found guilty of injury to a child resulting in death.
The couple was living with Domenic at an extended stay hotel in San Antonio, Texas, when Garcia allegedly beat the boy so severely that he died.
They then drove to Colorado, disposing of Domenic’s body in a remote ravine near Rocky Mountain National Park.
The couple fled to Costa Rica but were eventually apprehended in Florida after Aguilar’s mother alerted authorities. Domenic’s body was recovered a month later, showing signs of extensive abuse and exposure to the elements.
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Aguilar admitted to witnessing multiple instances of abuse by Garcia in the weeks leading up to Domenic’s death but did not intervene. She cited her desire to be in a relationship as a reason for not leaving her abusive boyfriend.
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