Mom ‘too eager to be in a relationship’ stood by as boyfriend mercilessly beat her son to death

A Texas mom, Nickolle Aguilar, 27, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for her involvement in the death of her 5-year-old son, Domenic Aguilar Acevedo, who was brutally abused, tortured and eventually beaten to death by her 29-year-old boyfriend, Daniel Garcia.

The sentencing was handed down by Bexar County District Court Judge Velia Meza on Tuesday afternoon. “You have earned every single day of the 15 years that you have plea bargained for,” Judge Meza said.

Aguilar was initially charged with child abuse resulting in death, but she accepted a plea deal, reducing her charge to injury to a child resulting in serious bodily injury by omission.

This deal required her to testify against Garcia, making her the prosecution’s first witness during his trial. Prosecutors acknowledged that Aguilar’s cooperation was essential for securing Garcia’s conviction.

In her emotional testimony, Aguilar recounted the final weeks of Domenic’s life before his death on July 24, 2021. She and Garcia had met online in 2020 while living in Florida and later moved to Texas together with their children.

Initially, each parent disciplined their own children, but in Texas, Garcia began to take over disciplining Domenic, claiming Aguilar was not strict enough.

Aguilar described how Garcia’s discipline quickly turned to abuse for minor issues, such as not answering or eating quickly enough. She recalled one incident where Garcia punched Domenic in the jaw with a closed fist.

On July 24, 2022, the family was staying at an extended stay hotel in San Antonio when Garcia threw Domenic against a wall with such force that he “bounced” off and hit the floor. Domenic then vomited a dark substance and died within hours.

Surveillance footage from the hotel showed Garcia carrying Domenic’s lifeless body to their car. Instead of calling 911, Aguilar and Garcia drove to Colorado, camped in a remote area and buried Domenic.

Aguilar later helped authorities locate her son’s body, which was recovered from a ravine near their campsite.

Investigators said that Aguilar told them she did not intervene in the abuse because she was “too eager to be in a relationship.”

Authorities highlighted Aguilar’s failure to protect her son, with Bexar County Criminal District Attorney Joe Gonzales stating, “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.”

TOP STORIES:

• Mom tosses her newborn into a dumpster so her boyfriend wouldn’t break up with her
• Mom beat her 3-year-old blind son to death, convinced his siblings not to worry and stuffed his body in basement freezer
• Mom burns teen daughter’s rapist alive after he taunts her about the attack while out of prison

Daniel Garcia, who was found guilty of injury to a child resulting in death, is scheduled for sentencing on August 14 and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.