A Virginia judge has handed down two concurrent life sentences plus an additional 13 years to Jose Ulises Aguilar-Martinez, 23, following a 2024 carjacking that claimed the life of 54-year-old Melody Waldecker.
The sentencing, which took place in the Loudoun County Circuit Court on March 27, 2026, significantly surpassed the state’s recommended guideline range of 27 to 45 years.
The incident occurred shortly before noon on July 28, 2024, in a convenience store parking lot off Route 7 in Sterling.
According to prosecutors, Aguilar-Martinez, who was in the country illegally, had been loitering in the area with the specific intent to steal a vehicle to travel to California. Evidence presented in court showed that he first attempted to take a pickup truck, but he was fended off by a passenger inside the vehicle.
Moments later, Aguilar-Martinez targeted Waldecker’s car, which she had left running while she stepped inside the store. When Waldecker spotted the intruder in her driver’s seat, she rushed out and grabbed the door handle to stop him.
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Investigators determined that as the vehicle began to move, Aguilar-Martinez reversed and then accelerated forward. The maneuver caused Waldecker to lose her footing and fall, at which point Aguilar-Martinez drove over her while fleeing the scene.
Deputies arriving at the convenience store found Waldecker on the pavement; she was pronounced dead at the scene. A multi-agency manhunt involving the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, Virginia State Police, and Fairfax County Police followed.
Within 45 minutes, officers located Aguilar-Martinez sitting inside Waldecker’s stolen vehicle and took him into custody without further incident.
Aguilar-Martinez was convicted of first-degree felony murder, robbery causing death, attempted grand larceny, hit and run resulting in death, reckless driving, and hit and run involving property damage.
The final sentence ensures he will remain in prison for the duration of his life, closing a case that local authorities described as a “senseless tragedy.”
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