failed to appear for a virtual pre-trial hearing in March and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest, a court official said Thursday. That warrant remains active.Villasenor-Aguilar was driving his truck south on Interstate 295 in Carneys Point Township on the afternoon of May 30, 2020, when it veered onto the shoulder and struck two people who were working on a car, according to police.
Desiree Pulliam, 29, of New Castle, Delaware, and Heber Barreiro-Lopez, 30, of Philadelphia, were pronounced dead at the scene. Villasenor-Aguilar told police he fell asleep at the wheel, authorities said. Tests revealed he had no drugs or alcohol in his system.Villasenor-Aguilar said he didn’t see the two cars stopped along the side of the road, according to prosecutors. One of the victims“He stated that ‘Just for a second, I closed my eyes and when I opened my eyes I was on the cars,’” Salem County Assistant Prosecutor David M.
While prosecutors sought his pre-trial detention, he was released from jail pending trial in 2020, with Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson citing his age, health condition and increased risk for contracting COVID-19. His public defender described Villasenor-Aguilar as diabetic.While Villasenor-Aguilar is not a U.S. citizen, according to statements previously made in court, officials added that he had no immigration detainers on file.
In arguing for his pre-trial detention in 2020, prosecutors described Villasenor-Aguilar as a flight risk, considering that he faced a potential lengthy prison term and that he had no ties to New Jersey. Galemba also cited a 2007 failure to appear warrant from Arizona that wasn’t resolved until eight years later.