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A Sterling, Virginia, man has been sentenced to two life sentences plus 13 years in prison for a carjacking in 2024 that left a woman dead after she was struck by her own vehicle.
Jose Ulises Aguilar-Martinez, 23, appeared in Loudoun County Circuit Court on Thursday for sentencing on a first-degree felony murder charge, as well as robbery causing death, attempted grand larceny and hit and run charges.
On July 28, 2024, Aguilar-Martinez tried to steal a vehicle that was left running outside the 7-Eleven at Town Center Plaza in Sterling. An adult and two children were in the backseat.
Court documents said his intent was to steal a car so he could drive to California. The adult in the running vehicle stopped Aguilar-Martinez from taking the vehicle.
Aguilar-Martinez then left the parking lot area and changed clothes to try to hide his identity, a news release from the Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney said.
Melody Waldecker pulled into the convenience store parking lot a few minutes later. The Maryland woman was in Loudoun County to visit her sick mother, the news release said. She left the vehicle running while she entered the store.
Aguilar-Martinez had returned to the parking lot and got into Waldecker’s vehicle. She spotted him and tried to keep him from stealing the car by pulling on the door handle.
As Aguilar-Martinez began backing up, Waldecker lost her balance and fell to the ground.
“Aguilar-Martinez turned the wheel of the car, accelerated to a high rate of speed, and then drove over Melody’s body,” the Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office said. She died at the scene.
Police located and arrested Aguilar-Martinez, still in Waldecker’s vehicle, about 45 minutes later.
“This brutal crime was a senseless tragedy against Melody Waldecker and the community. Mrs. Waldecker was a caretaker in her professional career and for her family. She was killed because this individual wanted to steal a car to drive to California at any cost,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Bob Anderson said in a statement.
WTOP’s Abigail Constantino contributed to this report.
