A Loudoun County judge on March 27, 2026, handed 23-year-old Jose Ulises Aguilar‑Martinez two concurrent life sentences plus another 13 years for the July 28, 2024, carjacking that killed 54-year-old grandmother Melody Waldecker. The punishment went beyond Virginia’s sentencing guidelines and effectively ensures Aguilar‑Martinez will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
What happened
The fatal carjacking unfolded just before noon on July 28, 2024, outside a 7‑Eleven in the Town Center at Sterling, in the 21000 block of Towncenter Plaza, where Waldecker had left her SUV running while she stepped inside the store, according to The Washington Post. Deputies found Waldecker lying on the pavement and pronounced her dead at the scene, and a suspect was arrested later that day.
Prosecutors' account
Prosecutors say Aguilar‑Martinez had been lingering in the shopping center with the intent to steal a vehicle so he could travel back to California, and that he first tried and failed to take a pickup truck before moving on to Waldecker’s running SUV, according to MoCo Show. When Waldecker grabbed the driver’s door, prosecutors say he reversed, then accelerated forward, pulling her off the vehicle and running over her as he sped away. Deputies located and arrested a suspect the same day.
Plea and charges
Aguilar‑Martinez pleaded guilty in December 2025 to six counts, including first-degree felony murder, robbery causing death, attempted grand larceny, hit-and-run resulting in death and reckless driving, according to NBC4 Washington. The plea came just weeks before a jury trial was scheduled to begin, and several other charges were dropped under the agreement.
Sentence and court reaction
On March 27, 2026, a Loudoun County Circuit Court judge imposed two concurrent life terms plus an additional 13 years, a sentence that exceeded the state’s recommended 27-to-45-year guideline range, Tampa Free Press reports. Prosecutors told the court the punishment matched both the deadly outcome and Aguilar‑Martinez’s actions during the carjacking.
Legal note
Local authorities called the killing a “senseless tragedy,” and prosecutors told the court that Aguilar‑Martinez’s guilty plea spared Waldecker’s family the ordeal of a full trial, according to Tampa Free Press. When issuing the tougher sentence, the judge pointed to the fatal result and the statutory elements of the crimes of conviction.
Immigration and next steps
Immigration officials placed a detainer on Aguilar‑Martinez after his arrest, and the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office cooperated with federal authorities during the investigation, NBC4 Washington reported. With the state sentence now in place, any federal immigration proceedings would typically follow completion of his required state custody time or proceed through detainer and extradition processes.
