A man convicted of fatally shooting his sleeping friend in Ramona, then stuffing the victim’s body in a trash can and stealing items from his apartment, was sentenced Tuesday to 47 years to life in state prison.
Sean Joseph Hawksworth, 26, was found guilty by an El Cajon jury of first-degree murder and other charges for the Oct. 20, 2023, killing of 26-year-old Eduardo Aguilar Alba, who was found dead inside his 16th Street home.
NBC 7’s Jeanette Quezada was at the El Cajon courthouse for the suspect’s arraignment.
Prosecutors say Alba was asleep in his bedroom when Hawksworth shot him in the head and that afterward, Hawksworth stole the victim’s car and clothing items.
In the days after the slaying, Hawksworth returned to the home several times, in what prosecutors allege was an attempt to cover up his involvement in the murder.
Hawksworth was arrested on Nov. 3 at his Ramona home. The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office said items stolen from Alba were found inside a storage unit Hawksworth had rented.
Superior Court Judge Patricia Cookson, who sentenced Hawksworth on Tuesday afternoon, said the crime involved “a high degree of callousness” in regards to Hawksworth’s theft of the victim’s property and his efforts to cover up the crime.
At the sentencing hearing, Hawksworth offered “my sincere condolences” to about a dozen of Alba’s family members in attendance
“Eddie was my friend. I never foresaw this happening when I met him,” Hawksworth said. “I never wanted this to happen.”