REMEMBERING SERENITY
Serenity Jade Reedy was just nine months old when her life was taken on June 7, 2013, in Richland, Washington.
Born on September 1, 2012, to Jennifer Kathryn Reedy and James Patrick Reedy, Serenity was a beloved daughter, sister, and granddaughter whose short life brought happiness to the people around her.
Her family remembered her as an observant little girl who studied the people and things around her with remarkable curiosity. She seemed to take in every detail, and her presence brought smiles to those who knew her.
Serenity was still a baby, just beginning to discover the world.
Instead of being protected, she suffered fatal physical injuries and sexual abuse at the hands of her mother's boyfriend, Jose Luis Aguilar.
Her death devastated her family and led to a criminal prosecution that resulted in a life sentence.
Serenity's Story
Serenity lived with her mother, Jennifer Reedy, in Richland, Washington.
Her mother's boyfriend, Jose Luis Aguilar, had recently moved into the family's residence at a mobile home park near Stevens Drive.
On June 7, 2013, Jennifer discovered Serenity unresponsive in her crib.
The little girl had suffered devastating injuries.
Emergency personnel responded, but Serenity could not be saved.
She was only nine months old.
An investigation revealed that Serenity had suffered severe physical trauma, including a skull fracture and injuries consistent with sexual assault.
The medical evidence immediately raised concerns that her death was the result of intentional violence.
Investigators identified Aguilar as the primary suspect.
He had left the area around the time Serenity was discovered.
Authorities believed he was attempting to flee the country.
Police contacted Aguilar by telephone and used information from his phone to help locate him.
On June 8, 2013, Aguilar was arrested aboard a Greyhound bus in Barstow, California.
He was returned to Washington to face criminal charges.
Prosecutors initially charged him with first degree manslaughter while investigators continued examining the circumstances of Serenity's death.
Additional evidence established that Serenity had been sexually assaulted and fatally injured.
The criminal proceedings eventually resulted in Aguilar admitting responsibility for both the sexual assault and the killing.
Serenity's death left her family grieving a baby girl whose life had barely begun.
Her parents, siblings, grandparents, and extended family were left with memories of a child who should have had many more years ahead of her.
JUSTICE FOR SERENITY
Following his arrest in California, Jose Luis Aguilar was prosecuted in Benton County, Washington.
Investigators gathered medical evidence establishing that Serenity had suffered fatal injuries and sexual abuse.
Aguilar was initially charged with first degree manslaughter.
As the investigation progressed, prosecutors pursued more serious charges based on the evidence of sexual assault and homicide.
Aguilar ultimately pleaded guilty to first degree rape of a child and second degree murder.
His guilty pleas established his criminal responsibility for the abuse and violence that ended Serenity's life.
On September 24, 2014, Aguilar appeared before a Benton County judge for sentencing.
Prosecutors recommended that he remain imprisoned for life.
Serenity's father, James Reedy, and her grandmother were among the family members who attended the hearing.
Her grandmother held a photograph of Serenity as she addressed the court.
Family members spoke about the lasting pain of losing a child whose life had been taken so violently.
The judge imposed a life sentence, with Aguilar's case eligible for review after 40 years.
The possibility of review does not guarantee release.
Jose Luis Aguilar
Relationship to Serenity: Mother's boyfriend
Conviction(s): First degree rape of a child; Second degree murder
Sentence: Life imprisonment, with review after 40 years
FOREVER REMEMBERED
Serenity Jade Reedy was a beautiful little girl whose life lasted only nine months.
Her family remembered the way she watched the world around her.
She was curious and observant, studying people and objects as though she wanted to remember every detail.
Her obituary described the happiness she brought into the lives of those who knew her and the special bond she shared with her mother.
Serenity was also a little sister.
She was survived by her sister, Savannah Rose Reedy, and her brothers, Timothy James Reedy and Samuel Patrick Reedy.
Her grandparents and extended family were among the many people left grieving her loss.
On October 1, 2013, family and friends gathered for Serenity's funeral at Christ the King Catholic Church in Richland, Washington.
She was laid to rest at Sunset Memorial Gardens.
The people who loved her came together to honor a baby girl whose life had ended far too soon.
Serenity should have celebrated her first birthday.
She should have learned to walk, spoken her first words, played with her siblings, and experienced the countless milestones of childhood.
There should have been more family photographs, birthday celebrations, holidays, and memories.
Instead, her family was left with the precious moments they had shared during her nine months of life.
But Serenity deserves to be remembered for more than the violence that ended her life.
She was a daughter.
She was a sister.
She was a granddaughter.
She was a curious little girl who brought smiles to the people around her.
She deserved to grow up surrounded by love, kindness, and protection.
Her life mattered from the moment she was born.
And although her time here was brief, the love her family had for her did not end with her death.
Serenity Jade Reedy will always be remembered.
Abuse Angels remembers Serenity Jade Reedy.
Remembered. Honored. Never Forgotten.
