Man Claims Self Defense in 1992 Killing

Our scientific capabilities have advanced so much in the last decade. There are even cases that have been unsolved for years that are finally being solved thanks to advancement in DNA testing technology. One case in particular that has been unsolved since 1992 has finally been solved. A man was murdered, but the one who did the killing says he did it in self defense.

Luciano Aguilar is now 55 and has been arrested for the killing of Rafael Brito. In 1992, Brito was found dead in the backseat of his own car with his pants around his ankles. He had been hit in the head with a lug wrench and stabbed more than twenty-five times. Evidence was collected from the scene but there were no breaks in the case for fifteen years.

Some blood that had been found at the scene was discovered to belong to Aguilar. But in court, Aguilar said that he had acted in self defense. He had been dating a woman that Brito had previously dated. He said that one night he came out of his girlfriend’s apartment and Brito approached him and declared that he was going to kill him, his girlfriend, and her daughter.

Aguilar said that he knew his life was in danger so he did something to protect it. However, he left the body in the car after very violently defending himself and fled the scene. That doesn’t make him look very good. The jury thought so too. Though they didn’t convict him of murder, they did convict him of voluntary manslaughter.

Crimes of passion can be messy. But just because you killed someone because of your love life doesn’t justify the fact that you still killed someone.