A 22-year-old man was sentenced Wednesday to nearly 2 ½ years in prison for helping three other people rob and beat an older man in Vancouver’s Fircrest neighborhood in December 2017.
Clark County Superior Court Judge Gregory Gonzales sentenced Adrian Diaz Aguilar, who was listed on court documents as being transient, on first-degree burglary and possession of a stolen motor vehicle. Aguilar originally faced additional charges of first-degree robbery and assault.
His burglary conviction counts as a most serious offense or “strike” offense. Three strikes can result in a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Aguilar, along with Pedro Hernandez Jr., 42, Jessica R. Tellez, 35, and Vincent R. Trevino, 23, are all believed to have been involved in the Dec. 29, 2017, beating of Douglas Hodgson, then 63.
Court records state that Hodgson was beaten into unconsciousness with metal pipes, and his wallet, containing debit cards, and a firearm were stolen. He suffered multiple rib, spine and facial fractures, deep head lacerations and brain bleeding.
Tellez told detectives that for several years Hodgson had provided her with assistance, such as money, and that she went to his place that day to do laundry. Hernandez told investigators it was Tellez’s idea to burglarize Hodgson’s residence, according to court documents, and that he, Trevino and Aguilar were supposed to meet her there.
According to a statement of guilt, filed with his sentencing documents, Aguilar admitted that he “aided and abetted other people to knowingly and unlawfully enter” Hodgson’s home. The stolen vehicle did not belong to Hodgson but was used during the break-in, court records say.
Hernandez pleaded guilty last week to first-degree robbery and second-degree assault as part of a plea deal, and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Tellez pleaded guilty in May 2018 to first-degree burglary and second-degree identity theft, and was sentenced to 34 months, according to court records.
Unrelated homicide
Trevino was found dead a couple miles away from Hodgson’s home, just hours after the assault. He died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds, according to the medical examiner, and his death was ruled a homicide.
In July 2018, Devin D. Schultz-Morrison, 23, who was already in custody at the Clark County Jail on unrelated charges, was arrested in connection with Trevino’s death. Schultz-Morrison’s murder trial is set to begin April 13.
Deputy Prosecutor Kristine Foerster said investigators found no connection between the robbery and murder cases.
Source: https://www.columbian.com
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