A Salvadoran man, who is accused of killing a Virginia grandmother during a fatal carjacking this week, has been living in the United States illegally.
Jose Aguilar-Martinez, 21, was arraigned on a felony carjacking charge and the Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney Bob Anderson is expected to to file additional charges in the fatal Sunday encounter that resulted in the death of 54-year-old Melody Waldecker.
Waldecker was in a 7-Eleven parking lot at Town Center Plaza in Sterling, Virginia when Aguilar-Martinez carjacked her Sunday morning at 11:30 a.m. and fatally ran her over with her own vehicle.
“This is a horrific tragedy, and we mourn the death of Melody Waldecker as the result of the heinous actions by a suspect in our nation illegally,” Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman said in a release. “This is another reminder of why it is essential that localities collaborate with our federal counterparts charged with enforcing U.S. immigration laws.”
Waldecker was a mother of four children and grandmother to eight grandchildren. She worked as a caregiver in a nursing home.
Sound and video of the carjacker’s escape was captured on a nearby home’s security cameras.
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The “undocumented non-citizen” has a driver’s license that was issued by the state of California, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer has been since issued for Aguilar-Martinez by Enforcement and Removal Operations upon his release from local custody.
