- Samantha VanTreese criticizes the court’s acknowledgment of Rowdy Aguilar’s mental condition.
- Aguilar pleaded guilty to the 2021 murder of Ivan Vetecnik in Salt Lake City.
- VanTreese plans to address Aguilar during his sentencing hearing on Dec. 5.
SALT LAKE CITY — Samantha VanTreese said she still struggles to understand why someone would kill her younger brother, Ivan “Nick” Vetecnik. While she considers the guilty plea from Rowdy Lee Aguilar a step toward justice, she strongly disagrees with the court’s acknowledgment of Aguilar’s mental condition.
“He knew what he was doing,” VanTreese said. “He deserves to rot.”
According to a press release from the office of Salt Lake County District Attorney Sam Gill, Aguilar, who was 17 at the time of the crime, pleaded guilty to stabbing 15-year-old Ivan Vetecnik 26 times and then dismembering his body in 2021…