DALLAS — A North Texas woman has pleaded guilty to murder for a deadly 2019 robbery that police said she helped set up, according to the Dallas County District Attorney's Office.
Zephaniah "Zephi" Trevino was sentenced to 12 years in prison for her role in the murder of Carlos Murillo and aggravated robbery of Cristian Lobo at a Grand Prairie apartment in 2019.
Trevino was 16 years old at the time of the incident. At the time, she was with two men, Philip Baldenegro and Jesse Martinez, who were 18 and 19, according to police.
The Dallas County DA said on Monday, Aug, 21, that Murillo and Lobo were lured to the apartment and were beaten and robbed. Police at the time said Trevino helped lure the two men to the apartment.
Police said Baldenegro admitted to shooting both Murillo and Lobo. Murillo died from his injuries.
Baldenegro, Martinez and Trevino were arrested for the incident and were all charged with capital murder. Baldenegro and Martinez are still awaiting trial.
During the time between Trevino's arrest and eventual sentencing, her parents claimed she was a victim in the case. Back in 2020, Trevino's mother, Crystal, told WFAA that her daughter was a victim of sex trafficking.
Both Trevino's parents and Baldenegro's attorney believed Murillo and Lobo went to the apartment to have sex with the then-16-year-old girl. Her parents, however, claimed Baldenegro was forcing their daughter to have sex for money.
Baldenegro's attorney said those claims were false. He told WFAA that his client and Trevino were in a "boyfriend-girlfriend relationship."
Crystal Trevino told WFAA that her daughter said that Baldenegro and Martinez threatened to harm her family if she told her parents what was happening.
Zephi Trevino's case garnered national attention as celebrities like Jamie Lee Curtis and Kim Kardashian called for her release. Kardashian helped spread a change.org petition on her Twitter account back in July 2020.
Ultimately, Trevino was sentenced by the DA's office to 12 years for murder and five years for aggravated robbery. Both sentences will be served concurrently.
"I am thankful to my team and proud of them for staying the course. 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," Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot said in a statement.
NOTE: The following video was uploaded in 2020.