‘We want justice!’ Family of murdered Lexington teen demands answers.
“We want justice!”
That was one of many protesters’ chants that echoed through the chilly morning air in front of the Fayette County Circuit Courthouse Tuesday. The group gathered there just after 9 a.m. seeking answers in Sergio Villarados’ murder.
Villarados, 17, was found shot inside a flipped vehicle near Lexington Cemetery Thursday. He was a sophomore at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. His girlfriend was wounded, family told WKYT previously.
“He was a loving kid,” said Villarados’ mother, Alvis Villarau, through a translator, Ariana Villaraus. “She’s going to miss when he would play with his brothers. She’s only going to be able to see the videos of memories of when he was teaching his little brother to talk, when he was dancing, when he was playing soccer. They took that away from him. He won’t be able to hit a ball again.”
Villarau, and Villarados’ father, Sergio Arellano, believe bullying might have played a role in their son’s death. They said they have not been given any information about the investigation as they continue to grieve the loss of their son.
“We just want justice for him and for everybody else,” Arellano said. “We don’t want no more kids to die, to be killed. We just want Lexington to be safe.”
Sgt. Donnell Gordon, the Lexington police spokesman, said Villarados’ death is still under investigation and didn’t comment on the protest or issues raised.
Villarau has a video from September 2019 that shows her son being bullied. In the video, Villarados can be seen backing away from a group of people.
Villarau said her son was beaten and had a firearm put against his head.
Villarau said she showed the video to police but no action was taken. Villarados never wanted his mother to show police the video, fearing retaliation would follow.
“He would never say anything because he was afraid to talk and say something,” Arellano said. “In schools, they have rules that if he would say something, he would be a snitch and they will go after him and you can not take justice in your hands.”
Villarados’ cousin, Villaraus, said the family is in the process of finding a lawyer.
“We’re not going to stop until we get justice, not only for him, for every other kid whose life has been taken away,” Villaraus said.
Dozens gathered at the courthouse for the protest, shouting demands for justice while holding signs and banners with similar messages. The hashtag #LLS, which stood for “long live Sergio,” was written on almost all the signs or T-shirts present.
“I just don’t have the words to say about Sergio, but for me, he was the best kid in the world, and he would not hurt anybody,” Arellano said. “He would not do anything bad to anybody that I know, and I feel it in my heart that he was just the best kid.”
This story was originally published November 2, 2021 at 1:39 PM.
