According to police and prosecutors, a young man in upstate New York is going to prison for strangling a childhood friend during a private birthday celebration he hosted for her at an Airbnb.
The celebration included cake, new sneakers as presents, and tiny wine bottles with the words “I love you” written on them.
Jhon Chacaguasay-Ilbis, 21, entered a Syracuse Airbnb on June 18, 2024, with victim Joselyn Toaquiza, 21, and left with her deceased body, according to video footage that was originally obtained by WSTM. Chacaguasay-Ilbis was sentenced to 23 years to life in jail on Monday.
According to Onondaga County prosecutors and Judge Ted Limpert, who denounced Chacaguasay-Ilbis for his “unimaginable” crimes at his sentencing, which was reported by Syracuse.com, the young man pleaded guilty to strangling Toaquiza with an unidentified object before driving her to a nearby park and disposing of her body in a shallow grave.
According to Limpert, “this crime is really inexplicable.”
Although Chacaguasay-Ilbis acknowledged killing Toaquiza, who was discovered in Lincoln Park in Syracuse on June 22, he has never given anyone an explanation for his actions. Family members and police also failed to identify one.
“The court is not aware of, nor is the family aware of, the reasons that this happened and it’s very disturbed by that and that’s something I’m sure the family is going to wrestle with for the rest of their lives,” Limpert said. “They can’t understand it, nor can I — nor can the people of this community — why you would take the life of such a young, beautiful woman and I’m sure that the pain, as we heard from the statements of the family, is unimaginable and that they will never be able to remove that pain from their lives.”
Although it’s unknown how they reunited later in life, authorities revealed after detaining Chacaguasay-Ilbis that he knew the young woman from their early upbringing.
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According to the prosecution, Chacaguasay-Ilbis made purchases, including a subscription to Onlyfans, using Toaquiza’s credit cards after her passing. In 2022, they claimed, he unlawfully entered the United States from Ecuador.
In a statement released Monday via a Spanish translation, Toaquiza’s family declared that it would “never forgive” Chacaguasay-Ilbis for his actions.
“How can you live bearing the thought of having taken the life of an innocent person?” according to the family. “How can you sleep at night knowing that you have caused so much pain and suffering?”
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Chacaguasay-Ilbis apologized for his acts and gave his own statement, but he did not explain why he did what he did.
“I want to apologize to (Toaquiza’s) family, to my family and to my friends and mates for all the pain and suffering that I have caused,” Chacaguasay-Ilbis said. “I feel really bad and ashamed for this situation that I caused, for ignoring my principles and values. I understand and I respect your pain. I acknowledge the damage and I’m responsible for my actions. I regret everything and I wholeheartedly ask for your forgiveness. I wasn’t conscious about what I did.”
Chacaguasay-Ilbis was allegedly given a sentence of no more than 25 years to life in jail as part of his plea agreement. Toaquiza was described as a “beloved” friend and family member from Ecuador who was “tragically taken” in a “senseless act of violence” in a GoFundMe made for her last year. The family returned Toaquiza’s body to her native country, where she was “laid to rest with dignity among her ancestors and loved ones,” using the money raised from the online fundraising.
