SAN ANTONIO — A woman was sentenced to 15 years behind bars on Tuesday for the death of her 5-year-old son.
The Bexar County Criminal District Attorney's Office said 27-year-old Nickolle Aguilar pleaded guilty to charges of injury to a child with serious bodily injury by omission in the death of her son, Domenic Aguilar-Acevedo, in 2021.
Aguilar was offered a 15-year plea bargain in exchange for her testimony in the trial against her co-defendant and ex-boyfriend, 29-year-old Daniel Garcia, who was found guilty of a similar charge.
Garcia, Aguilar and her son were at an extended-stay at a San Antonio hotel in July of 2021. Garcia, who had been abusing the child over a period of time, struck Domenic with significant force, leading to his death.
Surveillance video captured Garcia and Aguilar carrying the child’s body out of the hotel room. Investigators said the couple then traveled to Colorado where they disposed of Domenic's body, eventually fleeing the country.
The district attorney’s office said Aguilar failed not only to intervene in the physical abuse but also, later, to seek adequate medical care for her child.
An investigation into Domenic’s death began after his grandmother contacted authorities, concerned about her grandson when Aguilar could not explain his absence. The couple was eventually found and arrested in Florida.
Aguilar assisted law enforcement in locating Domenic’s body in Colorado and cooperated in the trial of Daniel Garcia, testifying against him in court.
Garcia is set to be sentenced later this month.
“A parent’s responsibility is to protect her child, but Domenic’s mother said and did nothing as she watched her child die of abuse at the hands of her boyfriend,” said Bexar County DA Joe Gonzales in a statement. “Nickolle Aguilar failed her son, but in his memory and in partnership with law enforcement, our office has worked to hold her accountable."
