Inset: Eduargo Aguilar Alba (KNSD). Background: The apartment complex where Alba was killed by Sean Hawksworth (KNSD).
A 26-year-old man in California may spend the rest of his days behind bars for killing his “best friend,” executing the victim while he slept, taking his valuables and stuffing the body in a trash can.
San Diego Superior Court Judge Patricia Cookson on Tuesday ordered Sean Joseph Hawksworth to serve 47 years to life in a state correctional facility for the slaying of 26-year-old Eduargo Aguilar Alba, authorities announced. A jury in May convicted Hawksworth of multiple felonies, including murder, residential burglary, grand theft, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
“This was a willful, deliberate and premeditated murder,” San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said in a statement following the hearing. “I hope that today”s sentence brings a measure of closure and justice for the victims left behind in the wake of this violent crime.”
According to a news release from the district attorney’s office, the fatal shooting took place on Oct. 20, 2023, inside of Alba’s home in the 400 block of 16th Street in Ramona, California, which is about 120 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
“Hawksworth fatally shot Aguilar Alba in the head while the victim was asleep in his apartment,” prosecutors wrote in the release. “He then stuffed the body into a trash can, stripped the apartment of valuables, and stole Aguilar Alba’s Camaro, clothing, and designer sneakers. Detectives later recovered the victim’s property in a storage unit Hawksworth had rented and transferred into his brother’s name.”
Authorities said that after he killed Alba, Hawksworth “returned to the crime scene multiple times” and made efforts to cover up his actions “while continuing his drug-dealing activities as though nothing had happened.”
During the sentencing hearing, Cookson castigated Hawkworth, saying his actions, and particularly the fact that he robbed the victim’s home afterwards, involved “a high degree of callousness,” the Times of San Diego reported.
Alba’s parents previously spoke with San Diego Fox affiliate KNSD about their son outside of the courthouse, describing him as “quiet” but “with a big heart.”
“This person who took his life was supposedly his best friend, because they were always together,” Alba’s father told the station. “I don’t know why he would do this.”
During the sentencing hearing, Hawksworth addressed the court, offering his “sincere condolences” to the victim’s family members, several of whom were in the courtroom.
“Eddie was my friend. I never foresaw this happening when I met him,” he reportedly said. “I never wanted this to happen.”
