LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Sergio Villarados would have turned 22, on Wednesday, June 17. Instead, his mother is marking the milestone without him — and still waiting for answers in his unsolved murder.
LEX News interviewed Alvis Villarau, Sergio's mother, in Spanish. The following quotes have been translated to English.
"Love doesn't stop when a person leaves. Love continues, because you carry it in your heart," Alvis said.
October will mark five years since the 17-year-old was shot and killed in Lexington. No arrests have been made and no suspects have been named.
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Villarau remembers her son as someone full of life.
"Sergio was a very happy person. He liked to dance. He liked soccer. He said that soccer was his passion," she said.
One of the most difficult parts, she said, has been processing her grief while also raising Sergio's brother and sister.
"There are no words to tell them that their brother won't come back, that their brother is gone forever," Villarau said.
According to police, on Oct. 28, 2021, officers responded to the area of Price Road and Fairdale Drive in reference to an accident. When they arrived, they found a car on its side with two occupants inside, including Sergio.
The other occupant, a 19-year-old, had a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and was taken to a nearby hospital. Sergio was found dead inside the vehicle and was pronounced deceased by the coroner. Lexington police declined to discuss the case in detail.
"With it being an ongoing investigation, we are unable to provide an interview at this time," an officer said.
Villarau wrote a letter to the person responsible for her son's death and asked that it be shared. In it, she wrote:
"You are the face of the worst pain that exists. I'm not looking for your forgiveness; I'm not looking for your remorse. I want you to face something much more uncomfortable: the truth."
She continued:
"I want you to understand that, even though I'll never have peace, you don't deserve it either."
Villarau is urging anyone with information to find the courage to speak out — not just for Sergio, but for all unsolved cases.
"You have to put yourself in their shoes to understand what is happening, because it's not just his case. There are too many cases," she said.
Residents any information on Sergio Villarados' case can contact the Lexington Police Department at (859) 258-3600. Anonymous tips can be submitted to the Bluegrass Crime Stoppers through phone at (859) 253-2020, online at this link, or through the P3 Tips app at this link.
The full letter from Alvis can be found below:
No Espero Que Esta Carta Te Sacuda Espero Que Te Rompa. Porque by Ana Medina
Alvis' letter translated in English:
"I don’t expect this letter to shake you—I expect it to break you. Because that’s exactly what you did to my life when you killed my son. You’re still out there, breathing, while I walk every day with a hole in my chest that will never heal. And I want you to know this clearly: you are the reason for that emptiness. You are the face behind the worst pain that exists. I’m not looking for your forgiveness. I’m not looking for your remorse. I want you to face something much more uncomfortable:
the truth.
"The truth that your name, your story, and your conscience will always be tainted by what you did. That no matter how hard you try to justify yourself, reality will follow you like a shadow you can never shake off. My son had his whole life ahead of him. You didn’t just take his away—you shattered mine, my family’s, and the lives of everyone who loved him. Not a day goes by that I don’t wonder what he’d be doing right now, what his laughter would sound like, what dreams he’d be fulfilling… and there, always there, looms your act, your decision, your cowardice.
"I want you, when you read this, to be unable to hide within yourself. I want you to feel every word as a reminder of who you are and what you left behind. I want you to understand that, even though I will never find peace, you don’t deserve it either. If you’re going to respond, I want the raw truth. I don’t want excuses. I don’t want empty phrases. I want you to say something that hurts—not just me, but you too—something that makes you acknowledge who you really are and what you did. Because if this letter can achieve anything, I want it to be this: that your conscience, for once, hits you full force."
