Former Chicago police officer Jacqueline Villasenor pleads guilty to killing husband in 2021
By Sabrina Franza, sara tenenbaum
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CHICAGO (WBBM) — A former Chicago police officer pleaded guilty to shooting and killing her husband in 2021 on Tuesday.
Jacqueline Villasenor was charged with involuntary manslaughter for the death of her husband, 44-year-old German Villasenor, also a Chicago police officer, at their home in the 8500 block of West Winona Street, just east of O’Hare International Airport.
Villasenor pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter Tuesday afternoon and was sentenced to 2,338 days, or six years and four months, in prison, with credit for 1,162 days, or just over three years, already served. Villasenor was also sentenced to one year of parole.
Her defense attorney said she will serve seven days of the nearly six-and-a-half year sentence. The time served factored in the court was for time she spent on electronic monitoring.
Prosecutors say Jacqueline Villasenor and her husband were in their bedroom, arguing over a recent affair, when she grabbed her gun and allegedly threatened to kill herself.
As the couple struggled over the weapon, the gun went off and German Villasenor was shot in the chest.
The couple’s teenage son was in the home at the time and heard the gunshots, prosecutors said. When he went to investigate, prosecutors said the boy found his father bleeding on the ground and his mother performing CPR. Police said at the time of the shooting Villasenor appeared to have been drinking alcohol, but declined to be tested.
Though tears Tuesday, Villasenor spoke directly to her husband’s family, who attended over Zoom from their home in Mexico.
“There’s no punishment worse than what I have myself every single day,” she told them.
German Villasenor’s parents spoke through an advocate.
“They’re not in 100% agreement with it, but they respect the decision that the judge made today,” said advocate Julie Contreras.
German Villasenor’s mother issued a victim impact statement in court through an interpreter, saying in part that “life as we knew [has] changed forever.”
“Shooting someone straight in the chest isn’t an accident, and so his mother will never accept that,” Contreras said.
The couple had two adult children together. Tuesday the judge noted that both have forgiven Jacqueline and wrote statements in support of her.
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