Man pleads guilty to stabbing 15-year-old friend, dismembering body, and dumping remains in trash bags

SALT LAKE CITY (TCN) -- A man recently entered a plea deal in connection with the stabbing death of a teen friend whose dismembered body parts were found near a cargo trailer several years ago.

According to a Sept. 26 news release from the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office, Rowdy Lee Aguilar entered a guilty plea with a mental condition to the charge of aggravated murder. He faces a mandatory minimum of 25 years to life and is set to be sentenced on Dec. 5.

Prosecutors noted that Aguilar was 17 when he fatally stabbed his friend, 15-year-old Ivan Vetecnik, and will be held at a youth secure care facility until he is 25 before he will be transferred to the Utah State Correctional Facility to serve out the rest of his sentence.

A witness reportedly discovered Vetecnik’s body in a cargo trailer near Aguilar’s home on May 26, 2021. The district attorney’s office said the victim "had been stabbed more than 30 times and partially dismembered."

The body parts were reportedly located in trash bags near the trailer. According to prosecutors, security video from Aguilar’s home captured the defendant and Vetecnik entering the residence. Aguilar re-entered the house alone hours later in a shirt that was stained with apparent blood. Around 20 minutes later, the defendant reportedly carried what looked like garbage bags.

Investigators reportedly determined DNA from a bloody leather glove and knife inside the trailer was consistent with the victim and defendant. Prosecutors said Aguilar admitted to detectives that he stabbed Vetecnik.

Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said, "This tragic loss of life shocked not only our community but people around the world. We hope that this conviction helps the victim’s family feel they have received a measure of justice and accountability for the death of their loved one. We hope they may now begin to heal from the trauma of their loss."

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