Killer sentenced for 'deliberate' Selma hit-and-run, victim's family remembers life cut short

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- With convicted killer Jessie Villegas Jr. sentenced to life in prison Thursday, his victim's mother spoke out about the pain.

"He didn't just take my son," Sylvia Solis said. "He took me. I'm here physically, but my mind is not here."

Dominique Augustine's sister then described him as her protector.

"The person that he was and the heart that he carried was for others, and never for himself," Keonah Jovel said.

RELATED: Man to face murder trial for deadly Selma hit-and-run

Prosecutors argued Villegas struck Augustine with his van in what a witness previously testified was "deliberate."

The attack unfolded in Selma three years ago. Investigators believe it started as a verbal fight and quickly escalated.

"Someone took the matter into their own hands and took my brother's life," Jovel said.

Days before the case was set to go to trial this June, Villegas pleaded guilty. He admitted to second-degree murder and hit-and-run.

Attorneys on both sides agreed to 19 years to life in prison.

"He did not have the right to take someone's life, and I'm praying to the court to give him more years," Veronica Carlos, the victim's aunt, said.

"I do not have the authority to make the sentence longer," Fresno County Superior Court Judge Arlan Harrell said.

He explained that the punishment is a life sentence, and Villegas gave up his right to appeal.

Villegas will have to serve 19 years before even asking for parole.

"That does not mean that Mr. Villegas would serve only 19 years," Judge Harrell said. "Much of it is going to depend upon his conduct in prison, which is not going to be a picnic."

Villegas stayed quiet through it all. He chose not to speak in court.

Augustine's family says he has not shown any remorse.

"That's why he's constantly wearing a mask," Augustine's brother, Isaac Solis, said. "He doesn't want to be seen in the media. He's a coward."

The family tells Action News they will honor Augustine with a drive through his beloved Selma this weekend.

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