The Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse in Downtown Long Beach. File photo.
The Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse in Downtown Long Beach. File photo.

A Signal Hill man plead guilty to physically abusing his girlfriend and her two children, leading to the death of her 2-year-old son in 2014, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.

Samuel Aguilar, 25, is scheduled to be sentenced on September 21 at the Long Beach Courthouse after pleading guilty to seven felony charges, including one count of voluntary manslaughter, one count of injuring his girlfriend, two counts of child abuse and three counts of dissuading a witness from reporting the crime.

He is expected to be sentenced to 32 years in state prison.

His girlfriend, Jessica Rey Cereceres, 26, pleaded no contest to two felony counts for abusing her two children. She was sentenced on May 4 to five years in state prison.


 

Aguilar and Cereceres previously lived together as a couple with her 2-year-old son who died of body trauma in 2014, the prosecutor said.

Law enforcement began an investigation and discovered that her 1-year-old son also had injuries on his body. It was determined her 2-year-old son died from blunt force trauma to the stomach and head and the injuries occurred under Aguilar’s care, according to officials.

Witnesses came forward and described how Aguilar abused the two boys in front of Cereceres and she would watch, the prosecutor said.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department investigated the domestic violence case.

Stephanie Rivera is the community engagement editor. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter at @StephRivera88.