Unauthorized Immigrant Pleads No Contest In Violent Death

After four days of trial, an unauthorized immigrant from Honduras pleaded no contest in connection with the murder of a friend who was killed along the Falls Township and Morrisville Borough border in 2014.

Juan Antonio Villeda, 35, made the plea Friday early afternoon before Judge Rea B. Boylan at the Bucks County Justice Center in Doylestown. He will be sentenced in the coming months.

Assistant District Attorney Robert James told LevittownNow.com the plea deal was reached Friday morning after several days of trial.

Erick Sarceno, 24, also an unauthorized immigrant who recently lived in Trenton pleaded guilty to charges of third-degree homicide, conspiracy and related offenses in August as part of a deal that led to him testifying during Villeda’s trial.

The murder of Jeronimo Villatoro happened after a night of drinking at an illegal speakeasy in Trenton. The men drove from Trenton to West Post Avenue on the Falls and Morrisville border in a van. Villeda and Villatoro got into an argument at the end of West Post Avenue. Around that time, the two defendants reportedly began beating Villatoro around 8:30 a.m. on October 19, 2014, officials said.

The men left the injured Villatoro on the ground but returned a short time later, officials said.

The assault was called in to 9-1-1 after a nearby resident saw something happening on West Post Road while he drank his morning cup of coffee.

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Sarceno and his brother, who will not been charged in connection with Villeda’s death, were taken into custody by Morrisville police moments after the violent assault on their drinking buddy. Villeda fled the scene and was picked up less than a month later in New York.

James said Villatoro was stabbed 22 times to the face, head, neck and chest. He was also beaten with a crowbar, which caused some of the injuries that led to his death.

Investigators collected surveillance video from the church nearby the crime scene. A church official told LevittownNow.com the building has 16 cameras and all video was turned over to investigators.

James and Villeda’s defense attorney both said they remain unsure of the exact motive for killing but some sort of argument led to the altercation.

Word of a deal began circulating Friday morning when the jurors were let go for several hours. The jurors returned to court around 11 a.m. and the deal was announced about an hour later.

Defense attorney Steven Jones said after court that no contest plea would spare Villeda from being sentenced to life in prison. He noted his client did not admit guilty but realized the evidence prosecutors presented could have led to a guilty verdict.

James said he will go for the maximum prison time for Villeda at sentencing. Following any prison sentence, Villeda will likely be deported to his native Honduras.

Villatoro’s brother-in-law told Boylan on Friday that he feared Villeda could hurt others if he is let free in the United States or Honduras. He said through a translator the murder of Villatoro has been very hard on the family, but he thanked police for their efforts throughout the investigation.

Boylan reiterated Friday that Villeda is to have no contact with the victim’s family or Sarceno. As has happened during a previous encounter, she stated Villeda is to contact correction officers if Sarceno contacts him while behind bars.

Villeda remains in prison until sentencing.