Jeremy Vargas Sagastegui (November 1, 1970 – October 13, 1998) was an American killer

convicted In law, a conviction is the determination by a court of law that a defendant is guilty of a crime. A conviction may follow a guilty plea that is accepted by the court, a jury trial in which a verdict of guilty is delivered, or a trial by jud ...

of three counts of aggravated first-degree

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...

for the

drowning Drowning is a type of Asphyxia, suffocation induced by the submersion of the mouth and nose in a liquid. Submersion injury refers to both drowning and near-miss incidents. Most instances of fatal drowning occur alone or in situations where othe ...

and beating of Kievan Sarbacher, 3, and the shooting deaths of his mother, Melissa Sarbacher, 21, and a second woman, Lisa Vera-Acevedo, 27. The killings occurred on November 19, 1995, in a mobile home in rural

Finley, Washington Finley is a census-designated place (CDP) in Benton County, Washington, United States. The population was 6,152 at the 2020 census. It is located to the southeast of the larger city of Kennewick. History A post office called Finley was establish ...

, located east of

Kennewick Kennewick () is a city in Benton County, Washington, Benton County in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. It is located along the southwest bank of the Columbia River, just southeast of the confluence of the Columbia and Yakima ...

, where Sagastegui had been babysitting Sarbacher's two children. The second child, a 1-year-old girl, was unharmed. Sometime between the evening hours of November 18 and the early morning hours of November 19, at a residence in Finley, Jeremy Sagastegui

sexually abused Sexual abuse or sex abuse is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using physical force, or by taking advantage of another. It often consists of a persistent pattern of sexual assaults. The offender is r ...

, beat,

stabbed A stabbing is penetration or rough contact with a sharp or pointed object at close range. ''Stab'' connotes purposeful action, as by an assassin or murderer, but it is also possible to accidentally stab oneself or others. Stabbing differs from ...

, and then drowned Kievan Sarbacher, a three-year-old boy who was in his care. Sagastegui then waited for Kievan's mother, Melissa Sarbacher, to return home. When she did so, he shot her and her friend, Lisa Vera-Acevedo, who had accompanied Sarbacher home. The convicted triple murderer refused to fight his

execution Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in ...

. His mother filed for a stay on his behalf but it was denied as Sagastegui was found competent, and therefore no third party, including his mother, could file on his behalf. He was

executed Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...

on October 13, 1998, by

lethal injection Lethal injection is the practice of injecting one or more drugs into a person (typically a barbiturate, paralytic, and potassium) for the express purpose of causing death. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but t ...

aged 27.

General references

135 Wn.2d 67, STATE v. SAGASTEGUI No. 63744-0. En Banc.
Retrieved on 2007-11-10.
Persons Executed Since 1904 in Washington State
''Washington State Department of Corrections''. Retrieved on 2019-01-12.
State Supreme Court Denies Motion to Delay Sagastegui Execution
''Washington State Office of the Attorney General'' (1998-10-01). Retrieved on 2007-11-10. * Jason Hagey. . ''Tri-City Herald'' (1998-08-18). Archived fro

on 1999-04-18. Retrieved on 2007-11-10. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sagastegui, Jeremy Vargas 1970 births 1998 deaths 20th-century executions of American people American murderers of children American people executed for murder American rapists 20th-century executions by Washington (state) People executed by Washington (state) by lethal injection People convicted of murder by Washington (state)

See also

General references