Standing before Lebanon County Court of Common Pleas Judge Donna Long Brightbill Tuesday, Claudia Prieto-Aguilar described her younger brother, Sergio, as a “devoted son, a loyal brother and friend whose charisma and empathy drew people to him.”
“At just 24 years old, he was a college student with dreams as big as his heart,” she said. “Always the first to lend a hand, even if it left him overwhelmed. I called it his curse, the boundless compassion because he couldn’t say no when someone needed him.”
In October 2021, the North Londonderry Township Police said Sergio Prieto-Aguilar was found dead in a second floor bedroom. According to the Lebanon County Coroner, Aguilar’s cause of death was fentanyl toxicity from drugs given to him by Palmyra resident Christian Garcia.
At the time, Claudia Prieto-Aguilar was recovering from surgery and “completely unprepared for the devastation” of her brother’s death. Seeing her brother’s lifeless body and the sounds of her mother’s cries are something Claudia said she will never forget.