Jesus Aguilera: Serial Killer Active in New York City in 1981
Overview
Jesus Aguilera is a Cuban-born serial killer who committed a series of violent crimes in New York City during 1981. After arriving in the United States during the Mariel boatlift, Aguilera quickly became involved in a pattern of robberies, sexual assaults, and murders. Investigators later linked him to three confirmed killings committed within a period of only a few weeks. His crimes were notable for the use of ligature strangulation, binding victims' hands and feet, and leaving victims in isolated or abandoned locations.
Aguilera was convicted of two murders in the early 1980s and received consecutive life sentences. Decades later, advances in DNA testing connected him to a third homicide that had remained unsolved for more than thirty years. In 2015, he pleaded guilty to that murder, officially establishing him as a serial killer responsible for at least three deaths.
Criminal Pattern
Investigators found significant similarities among Aguilera's attacks. Victims were often restrained with rope, wire, belts, or other ligatures. Several victims were strangled using a tightening device, such as a screwdriver or similar object, which increased pressure around the neck. His crimes frequently involved robbery or sexual violence, and victims were often left in abandoned buildings or secluded locations.
Confirmed Victims
- Guillermo Graniela (Age 30)
Date of Murder: August 29, 1981
Location: Bronx, New York City, New York
Details: Graniela was found dead in the basement of a building on Bronx Park Avenue. His hands and feet had been bound. A rope around his neck had been tightened using a screwdriver, causing death by ligature strangulation.
- Tolita Brown (also known as Tolita Moore) (Age 36)
Date of Murder: September 2, 1981
Body Found: November 2, 1981
Location: Minford Place near Crotona Park, Bronx, New York City, New York
Details: Brown, a mother of four, was discovered partially clothed inside a shack on an abandoned lot. Her hands and feet were bound, and she had been strangled with a scarf tightened by a chisel. DNA recovered from beneath her fingernails eventually identified Aguilera as her killer more than three decades later.
- Josefina Cepeda (Age 24)
Date of Murder: September 17, 1981
Location: Near the 207th Street Bridge, Manhattan, New York City, New York
Details: Cepeda was strangled with a wire wrapped around her neck. Authorities later convicted Aguilera of her murder. Reports indicated that she had been lured with promises involving designer clothing before being killed.
Other Violent Crimes
Aguilera's criminal activity extended beyond the murders for which he became known. In August 1981, he attacked a woman after a consensual sexual encounter. He restrained her and left her in a situation where any struggle could have tightened a belt around her neck. She managed to escape and survive.
On December 19, 1981, Aguilera assaulted and sexually abused a 15-year-old girl in the Bronx. He attempted to strangle her using a pocketbook strap before she escaped. He was later convicted for crimes connected to this attack.
Cold Case Investigation and DNA Evidence
For many years, the murder of Tolita Brown remained unsolved despite investigators preserving biological evidence from the crime scene. Advances in DNA technology eventually allowed authorities to develop a profile from material recovered under Brown's fingernails. The DNA matched Aguilera's profile while he was already serving life sentences for the earlier murders.
The breakthrough led to his arrest and prosecution for Brown's death. Facing strong forensic evidence, Aguilera pleaded guilty in February 2015 to second-degree murder.
Sentencing
Aguilera received two consecutive life sentences for the murders of Guillermo Graniela and Josefina Cepeda. Following his guilty plea in the Tolita Brown case, he was sentenced in 2015 to an additional term of 15 years to life. The conviction formally connected him to a third homicide and solidified his classification as a serial killer.
Legacy of the Case
The Aguilera investigation is often cited as an example of how modern DNA technology can solve decades-old murders. The successful prosecution of the Brown case demonstrated the value of preserving forensic evidence and revisiting cold cases. More than thirty years after the crimes occurred, investigators were able to provide answers to victims' families and hold Aguilera accountable for another murder that had long remained unsolved.
