Inset: Jhon Moises Chacaguasay-Ilbis in court Monday, March 10, in Onondaga County, N.Y. (Syracuse.com/YouTube). Right inset: Joselyn Toaquiza (GoFundMe). Background: Surveillance video showing Joselyn Toaquiza walking into an Airbnb with Jhon Moises Chacaguasay-Ilbis where he had planned a celebration for her 21st birthday (News 12/YouTube).
A young man in upstate New York is heading to prison for strangling a childhood friend of his at a private birthday party he threw for her at an Airbnb — complete with cake, new sneakers for gifts and miniature wine bottles with the words “I love you” written on them, according to police and prosecutors.
Video footage, which was first obtained by the local NBC affiliate WSTM, shows 21-year-old Jhon Chacaguasay-Ilbis — who was handed a sentence of 23 years to life in prison Monday — walking into a Syracuse Airbnb on June 18, 2024, with the victim Joselyn Toaquiza, 21, and then exiting with her lifeless body. The young man pleaded guilty to strangling Toaquiza with an unknown object before driving her to a local park and dumping her body in a shallow grave, according to Onondaga County prosecutors and Judge Ted Limpert, who condemned Chacaguasay-Ilbis for his “unimaginable” crimes at his sentencing, which was covered by Syracuse.com.
“This crime is really inexplicable,” Limpert said.
While Chacaguasay-Ilbis admitted to killing Toaquiza, who was found on June 22 in Syracuse’s Lincoln Park, he has never revealed a motive to anyone. Police and family members were also unable 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.”
After arresting Chacaguasay-Ilbis, police revealed that he knew the young woman from earlier in their childhoods, but it’s unclear how they reconnected later in life. Prosecutors said Chacaguasay-Ilbis used Toaquiza’s credit cards to make purchases after her death, including an Onlyfans subscription, Syracuse.com reports. They alleged that he entered the United States from Ecuador illegally in 2022.
Toaquiza’s family issued a statement Monday through a Spanish interpreter, saying it would “never forgive” Chacaguasay-Ilbis for what he did.
“How can you live bearing the thought of having taken the life of an innocent person?” the family said. “How can you sleep at night knowing that you have caused so much pain and suffering?”
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Chacaguasay-Ilbis offered up a statement of his own and apologized for his actions, but he didn’t provide a reason for 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.”
As part of Chacaguasay-Ilbis’ plea deal, he was reportedly promised a sentence of no worse than 25 years to life in prison. A GoFundMe created for Toaquiza last year describes her as a “beloved” friend and family member from Ecuador who was “tragically taken” in a “senseless act of violence.” The family used the funds from the online fundraiser to transport Toaquiza’s body back to her home country where she was “laid to rest with dignity among her ancestors and loved ones.”
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