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Sablan pleads guilty to killing his wife
A man accused of killing his wife in 2015 has pleaded guilty.
Sylvestre Sablan, charged with second-degree murder for killing his wife, Ana Maria Pialur Limes, in 2015, changed his “not guilty” plea to “guilty” last Wednesday.
Sablan was accompanied by his lawyer Douglas Hartig; the government was represented by Chief Prosecutor Michelle Harris.
Sablan said in court that his conscience led him to change his plea. The court, presided by Associate Judge Teresa Kim-Tenorio, accepted his guilty plea.
As stated in the minute order of the plea hearing, he will be sentenced to 30 years in prison, five years of which will be suspended, with credit for time already served.
The Office of the Attorney General dropped the remaining charges against Sablan.
Sablan was arrested on Sept. 6, 2016, over the killing of Limes at their residence in Oleai in April 2015. Limes was found dead inside her house in Oleai on April 20 shortly after noon. Police said that Limes showed signs of having been deceased for some time already, with fatal injuries to the head.
Sablan was served with an arrest warrant on charges of second degree murder, aggravated assault and battery, and assault with dangerous weapon.
In a statement to media, assistant attorney general Teri Tenorio, who negotiated the plea terms for Sablan, said that this guilty plea gives some sense of closure for the family of Limes.
“The Office of the Attorney General has maintained regular communications with the family and, prior to finalizing the plea terms, we sought input and approval of this offer,” she said. “While the family may never understand how Sylvestre Sablan could murder Ana, this plea agreement provides semblance of closure.”
