Texas woman who said she was a sex-trafficking victim sentenced to 17 years in prison for role in deadly robbery

A Texas woman was sentenced to 17 years in prison for her role in a deadly robbery in 2019. The woman previously claimed that she was a victim of sex trafficking at the time of the lethal robbery.

Zephaniah "Zephi" Trevino, 20, pleaded guilty to murder and aggravated robbery. She was sentenced to 12 years in prison for murder and five years for aggravated robbery. Both sentences will be served concurrently.

Justin Moore, an attorney for Trevino, told the Dallas Morning News that his client pleaded guilty because the risk of a life sentence was "too grave."

"The overarching story here is not about wins or losses but about the urgent need for a legal system that is trauma-informed, that emphasizes rehabilitation over retribution, and that also calls into question the unchecked power that DA office's have in this country and how they can bully defendants who are victims into taking plea deals," Moore said.

In August 2019, Carlos Murillo and Cristian Lobo were allegedly lured to an apartment complex in Grand Prairie, Texas, so that they could be robbed.

Trevino, who was 16 years old at the time, reportedly left Lobo in the bedroom alone. Philip Junior Aguilera Baldenegro, 19, allegedly went to the bedroom and beat Lobo with a gun and his fists. Meanwhile, Jesse Martinez, 18, purportedly beat Murillo, who was in the living room of the apartment.

Baldenegro is accused of fatally shooting Murillo. Lobo was wounded, but he survived the attack.

Detective Joshua Stelter testified in court that Trevino joked about Murillo going "out with a bang."

Baldenegro and Martinez were arrested the next day after the attack, and Trevino was arrested later that month.

Trevino's attorney and family have said that Trevino was a victim of sex trafficking and that Baldenegro was selling her into sex.

A human-trafficking expert hired by Trevino's legal defense team found her story "highly credible" and believed Baldenegro had “groomed" Trevino via social media, according to the Washington Post.

Baldenegro's attorney called the allegations of sex trafficking a "smokescreen" and said the pair were in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship.

After Trevino claimed she was a sex-trafficking victim, she received support from celebrities such as Jamie Lee Curtis and Kim Kardashian.

Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot said on Monday, "I am thankful to my team and proud of them for staying the course. They were never distracted by the media attention or public outcries trying to shift the narrative of this case, and continued, in accordance with the law, to follow the facts and evidence to see that justice was done."

Baldenegro and Martinez have both been indicted on charges of capital murder and aggravated robbery.

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