Trevino was 16 when she allegedly took part in a 2019 robbery that left one person dead and another wounded by gunfire at a Grand Prairie apartment complex. She was later certified to be tried as an adult.
Police say Trevino invited two men, Carlos Murillo and Cristian Lobo, to an apartment. When they arrived, the men were met by Trevino and a friend. Trevino and Lobo went into a bedroom while the friend and Murillo stayed in the living room. At that point, two other men appeared in the apartment: Jesse Martinez and Philip Baldenegro, intending to rob Lobo and Murillo.
When Lobo and Murillo were attacked, they fled the apartment and headed toward their car, with Martinez, Baldenegro and Trevino in pursuit. Lobo and Murillo made it to their car but the altercation continued, and Trevino searched the car for valuables in the process, according to police.
During the chaos, Baldenegro fired his weapon, killing Murillo and wounding Lobo. Baldenegro and Martinez were arrested hours after the crime, and Trevino was arrested more than three weeks later. In the aftermath, Trevino, her family and lawyers claimed she was being sex-trafficked at the time.
At one point, actress Jamie Lee Curtis took out a full-page ad in The Dallas Morning News in Trevino’s defense. A petition that circulated in support of Trevino amassed over 380,000 signatures and was shared on social media by Kim Kardashian.“This choice does not signal an acceptance of the narrative the district attorney seeks to present." – Justin Moore, attorney
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“I am thankful to my team and proud of them for staying the course,” Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot said in a press release Monday. “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.”
Please sign this petition to show support for the innocence of Zephaniah Trevino. #JusticeforZephaniahTrevino https://t.co/ah6A2bonBb pic.twitter.com/9GWA4IyKBW
— Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) July 30, 2020
He added, “There were only ever two victims in this case – Carlos Murillo and Cristian Lobo. My thoughts are with their families, and I pray this helps them continue to heal.”
Trevino was sentenced to 12 years in prison for murder and five years for aggravated robbery. The sentences will be served concurrently.
Justin Moore, one of Trevino’s attorneys, told the Observer in a written statement that the decision to accept a plea deal wasn’t taken lightly.
“This choice does not signal an acceptance of the narrative the district attorney seeks to present,” Moore said. “Instead, it is a testament to the challenges of navigating a legal system that currently does not provide an affirmative defense for victims of sex trafficking and a district attorney who has refused to view this case within a necessary trauma informed lens.”
