In a tragic turn of events on June 8, 2019, Selena Escalera-Pacheco, a 24-year-old mother, was found stabbed to death in her Oklahoma City apartment. The gruesome discovery was made by a friend who had been alerted by Escalera-Pacheco's five children that their mother was dead. The friend found her body in a bedroom. In a horrifying detail, it was reported that the children witnessed their mother's murder.
Police responded to the scene at an apartment complex around 3:15 p.m.
following a call about an assault on a female. An investigation revealed that Escalera-Pacheco had been stabbed more than 70 times. A significant piece of evidence, the wallet containing the identification of Gabriel Aguilar, was found near her body. Aguilar, who was 24 at the time, had been in a previous intimate relationship with Escalera-Pacheco.
Two days after the discovery of Escalera-Pacheco's body, Gabriel Aguilar was arrested in connection with her murder and booked into the Oklahoma County Jail on multiple complaints, including first-degree murder. He later entered a blind plea of guilty to the charge of first-degree murder. With a blind plea, the judge determines the punishment. Given the charge, the sentencing options were life in prison or life without the possibility of parole. Aguilar was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole and subsequently waived his right to an appeal. Following the incident, Escalera-Pacheco's five children were taken into the custody of the Department of Human Services.
