Aaron Trejo was a sixteen year old teen killer from Indiana who would murder Breana Rouhselang
According to court documents Aaron Trejo would learn that his girlfriend Breana Rouhselang was pregnant. The teen killer would stab the teenager to death and put her body in a dumpster
Aaron Trejo would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to sixty five years in prison
Aaron Trejo Now
| DOC Number | 279380 | |
| First Name | AARON | |
| Middle Name | R | |
| Last Name | TREJO | |
| Suffix | ||
| Date of Birth | 01/2002 | |
| Gender | Male | |
| Race | Unknown | |
| Facility/Location | Wabash Valley Level 3 Facility | |
| Earliest Possible Release Date* * Incarcerated individuals scheduled for release on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday are released on Monday. Incarcerated individuals scheduled for release on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday are released on Thursday. Incarcerated individuals whose release date falls on a Holiday are released on the first working day prior to the Holiday. | 06/11/2067 | |
Aaron Trejo Videos
Aaron Trejo Case
A Mishawaka teen who pleaded guilty to killing his pregnant classmate and her unborn child was sentenced Tuesday.
Aaron Trejo learned his sentence Tuesday for the murder of Breana Rouhselang and their unborn child after pleading guilty in October.
He will serve 65 years in prison for murder and feticide.
Age and lack of psychological maturity were brought up as considerations in the sentencing, since Trejo was 16 when he stabbed and strangled Rouhselang, then left her body and unborn child for dead in a dumpster.
It’s his capacity for extreme violence and planning that violence that led to harsher sentence.
“All I just want to say is I’m glad we got justice for Bre, but no amount of time will ever replace what he took from me,” said Melissa Wallace, Rouhselang’s mother.
It was an emotional day in court. Trejo stood before Judge Elizabeth Hurley as she handed down 55 years in prison for the murder of Rouhselang
“It’s like living a nightmare every day,” Wallace said.
He was sentenced to another 10 years for the death of their unborn child, Aurora. Police say Rouhselang was six months pregnant with Trejo’s child.
“The goal of the defendant in this case was to kill the child, and Breana was in the way of that, so he killed her in order to accomplish that,” Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Chris Fronk said.
The defense called forensic psychologist Dr. Anthony Berardi to the stand, focusing on age as a mitigating factor and poor psychological maturity, but one word was front and center in court Tuesday to describe the acts of Trejo: horrific.
“I thought it was very important for there to be consecutive sentences, one after the other, because there were two lives lost and two lives intentionally taken,” Fronk said.
Trejo’s family spoke on his behalf at sentencing but declined to comment after court adjourned.
Rouhselang’s family and friends continue to try and heal, fighting back tears outside the courtroom.
“My hate isn’t towards the family, it’s towards him, it was his actions that took my girls,” Wallace said. “But we did get justice.”
“Justice was served,” said Rouhselang’s grandfather Robert Wallace. “She was a good girl, she shouldn’t deserve any of this, and she had two colleges wanting her.”
Rouhselang and her unborn daughter, Aurora, were two souls taken too soon at the hands of a young man who felt extreme violence was his only means to escape becoming a father.
“She was like the sun and she just projected onto everyone; and her rays, they were so bright. I mean, it’s a darker place without her,” said Hailey Buchner, a friend and classmate of Rouhselang.
According to Hurley, Trejo will likely have to serve at least 75% of the 65-year sentence. That would put his age at release around 66 years old.
Rouhselang’s family reported her missing just hours before her body was discovered behind a Mishawaka restaurant in December 2018.
She and Trejo were students at Mishawaka High School.
Aaron Trejo Sentencing
Melissa Wallace sat in the witness stand in a St. Joseph County courtroom on Tuesday, holding a piece of paper, as she read her statement about the murder of her daughter and her unborn grandchild, revealing a mix of anguish and anger.
She recounted her reaction when she first learned what happened, her sense of failure at not protecting her 17-year-old daughter, Breana Rouhselang, and the struggle to move on. She also asked that Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Hurley sentence the killer, Aaron Trejo, to life in prison.
“Life goes on, but for me it’s put on hold until I see her in Heaven,” Wallace said through tears.
Breana’s father, David Rouhselang, fought back tears as he urged a harsh sentence for Trejo, claiming the 17-year-old boy had “no remorse or regret for what he’s done.” David had a picture of his daughter tied around his neck as he spoke.
Members of Trejo’s family also had a chance to speak, trying to reveal another side of his personality
“Aaron is the most loving, most caring, most persistent, most consistent person I know,” said his older brother, Adam Trejo.
After weighing several factors — Trejo’s age and lack of prior criminal record, but also the violent nature of the crime — the judge sentenced Trejo to 65 years in prison. He’ll receive a 55-year sentence for murder and a 10-year sentence for feticide. The sentences will run consecutively, with no time suspended.
“You took her life in one of the most savage and violent manners I have seen in my career,” Hurley told Trejo before announcing her sentence.
Trejo pleaded guilty to stabbing and killing Rouhselang, a Mishawaka High School classmate, in December 2018 after the two argued over her pregnancy. Her body was discovered in a dumpster behind a restaurant near her home. A trash bag had been placed over her head and upper torso, according to court documents.
Trejo told police that Rouhselang waited too long to tell him about her pregnancy and that it was too late for an abortion. Rouhselang was six months pregnant at the time of her death. Trejo told police when initially questioned, “I took action… I took her life,” according to court documents.
In court Tuesday, Trejo apologized to Rouhselang’s family in a short statement.
“There is no excuse for what I’ve done” he said. “Saying I’m sorry wouldn’t be enough, but it’s all I can give.”
In addition to family members, Trejo’s attorney called on a forensic psychologist to speak about the pressures Trejo faced. The psychologist, Anthony Berardi, testified that the teen felt “trapped” by his parents, who did not want the child put up for adoption.
“He had a lot of repressed hostility, a lot of repressed anger,” Berardi said.
Hurley, however, noted when she announced her sentence that many teenagers feel the same way about an unplanned pregnancy but do not commit violent crimes.
“It became apparent,” the judge told Trejo, “you had so many other options.”
After the sentencing, family and friends of Rouhselang gathered outside the courthouse.
“All I can say is I miss her a lot,” said a friend, Jasmine Sills. “She was like my sister.”
Several people were dressed in shirts that read “Justice for Bre” in blue lettering with a picture of Breana on the back. They hugged and talked.
“I’m glad we got justice for Bre,” said Wallace, her mother. “But no amount of time will ever replace what he took from me.”
Aaron Trejo Links
Trejo gets 65-year sentence for ‘horrific’ murder of Breana Rouhselang