A Mascotte man will serve life in prison for the murder of a shooting victim in 2019.
After a myriad of victim impact statements were delivered before the court, followed by both the state and defense presenting final arguments, Judge Cary Rada sentenced 35-year-old Alexander Aguilar to life in prison on Monday without the possibility of parole for the death of 35-year-old Juan Ramon Cruz.
“I did something no mother should have done that night, and that was see my son for the very last time, in a body bag,” said Aide Cruz, the mother of the victim. “His death devastated our family, and now my two young granddaughters, his daughters, will have to grow up without their dad.”
Back on April 22, a jury found Aguilar guilty of second-degree murder with a firearm and aggravated battery with a firearm. Aguilar was sentenced to life on the first count, followed by a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years on the second count.
The charges stem from an incident back in June 2019, in which Mascotte Police Department officers responded to a call for service regarding a shooting that had occurred. When officials arrived on the scene, they located the first victim, Juan Ramon Cruz, lying on the street unresponsive. Cruz was pronounced deceased on scene.
Officers also identified another victim, who had a gunshot wound to the knee. Emergency medical personnel began treatment of the victim’s injuries. While being treated, the victim informed law enforcement that Aguilar had fired shots at both victims before leaving the scene in a black Ford F-350 pickup truck.
Another witness on scene stated to detectives that several friends were at the location drinking when Aguilar and his friends arrived. During that time, Aguilar and the victim got into a physical argument, which another witness broke up. Aguilar and his friends walked back to the front yard, where Aguilar then armed himself and fired in the direction of both victims. Aguilar then fled the area.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office was called out to assist with the investigation. LCSO officials sent out an alert for the vehicle, and deputies with the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office observed the truck in their jurisdiction and conducted a traffic stop.
SCSO deputies noticed bullet holes on the side of the vehicle and had both occupants exit. Aguilar was identified as the passenger of the vehicle and detained for questioning. After being read his Miranda Warnings, Aguilar admitted to pulling out a firearm and shooting both victims. He claimed it was self-defense. The jury rejected this argument and found him guilty.
Assistant State Attorney Edward Moffitt prosecuted the case.