North Texas woman whose family says she was sex trafficked sentenced for murder, robbery
A woman who pleaded guilty to murder and aggravated robbery after saying the man who pulled the trigger was sex trafficking her has been sentenced to 12 years in prison, according to a news release Monday from the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office.
Zephaniah “Zephi” Trevino was with Philip Aguilera Baldenegro at a Grand Prairie apartment complex in August 2019 when police said Aguilera Baldenegro shot and killed Carlos Murillo, 24.
In 2020, Trevino’s parents told the Star-Telegram that Zephi, who was a 16-year-old high school student and softball player at the time of the shooting, was only at the apartment complex because she was being sold for sex by Aguilera Baldenegro.
Aguilera Baldenegro and another man, Jesse Martinez, are charged with capital murder and awaiting trial.
The district attorney’s office said in the news release that Aguilera Baldenegro, Martinez and Trevino lured Murillo and another man, Christian Lobo, to the apartment. There, Aguilera Baldenegro and Martinez beat the two men with handguns and robbed them, and Aguilera Baldenegro ultimately shot and killed Murillo, authorities have said.
Aguilera Baldenegro’s attorney told the Star-Telegram in 2020 that Aguilera Baldenegro shot and killed Murillo after he grabbed Trevino by the throat. The attorney, David Finn, also said that Trevino was not a trafficking victim and that he knew what to look for through his experience as a federal prosecutor who tried trafficking cases.
Trevino was a bright girl who had a good future ahead of her, her parents told the Star-Telegram in 2020. She loved her three siblings and shared a room with her sister Tiffani. They were the closest of the bunch and played softball together. Tiffani said in 2020 their room hadn’t changed since Zephi’s arrest.
Trevino’s mother said in 2020 that she changed when she started dating another teen. He introduced her to drugs and abused her, Trevino’s mother said. The relationship led to Trevino growing anxious and depressed and losing self esteem.
Her mother, Crystal Trevino, said that Zephi was working through the trauma of her relationship when Aguilera Baldenegro reached out to her via social media and then lied about his age and how he met Zephi when he was introduced to her parents.
They began lying to Zephi’s parents about what they were doing and at one point Aguilera Baldenegro told Crystal Trevino he was taking her daughter to the movies and didn’t bring her back for two days, Crystal Trevino told the Star-Telegram in 2020.
Zephi’s case gained national attention as celebrities pushed for authorities to drop the case. Kim Kardashian tweeted about it in July 2020 and asked her 66 million followers to sign a petition showing Zephi their support.
In Monday’s news release Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot said, “I am thankful to my team and proud of them for staying the course. They were never distracted by the media attention or public outcries trying to shift the narrative of this case, and continued, in accordance with the law, to follow the facts and evidence to see that justice was done.”
This story contains information from the Star-Telegram’s archives.
This story was originally published August 21, 2023 at 4:23 PM.