- Sebastián Villegas allegedly threatened to kill Isabella Mesa via a WhatsApp message four weeks before he allegedly killed her at his home on Sunday
- Court records of Mesa’s mother’s testimony show Villegas ordered her to provide screenshots of her conversations
- Mesa traveled from Mexico to her native Colombia to spend time with Villegas, an Army soldier, who stabbed her 24 times, a court document shows
Colombian army soldier Sebastián Villegas allegedly threatened to kill his model girlfriend Isabella Mesa almost a month before he stabbed her 24 times and stuffed her body in a suitcase at his home, court documents show.
“If she talked to other men, he wouldn’t mind killing whoever it was, he would even kill her himself,” a judge said as he read testimony from the victim’s mother, Sandra Mesa, during a hearing Wednesday. “She heard those words in the middle of a video call on December 30, 2023.
Isabella Mesa, 19, was found dead by Villegas’ mother on Sunday evening in one of the rooms of their Medellín residence, several hours after the couple attended a party at a farm and got into a heated argument.
The young mother had traveled to Colombia from Mexico, where she lived with her mother Sandra Mesa and her three-year-old son, to spend time with Villegas, who was on vacation.
The judge overseeing an arraignment hearing on Wednesday read testimony from Sandra Mesa, who said her daughter first met Villegas when she was 13 years old and living in her hometown of Copacabana, 25 miles outside Medellín.
Isabella, who moved to Mexico to pursue a career in modeling, spent most of her days chatting on her cell phone with Villegas, her mother told investigators.
Sebastián Villegas is accused of killing his girlfriend Isabella Mesa at his home in Medellín on Sunday. Army soldier allegedly threatened to kill his 19-year-old girlfriend if he found out she was talking to other men
Isabella Villegas had moved from her native Colombia to Mexico, where she pursued a modeling career and lived with her mother and three-year-old son.
‘Day and night she was talking on the mobile phone. However, at times she heard loud conversations or video calls and noticed him threatening her,” the court document said. “He demanded she share the screen and send WhatsApp videos to see who she was talking to. She saw that Sebastian was a jealous person.”
Villegas’ increasing jealousy rose to the point where he threatened to kill Isabella Mesa four weeks before taking her life.
“He was sick with jealousy, her daughter sent everything he asked her and then he asked her for forgiveness,” the court document revealed.
The judge said Villegas stabbed Isabella eight times in the neck and her seven times around the left breast.
Medellín law enforcement officers recovered the body of Isabella Mesa from the home of her soldier boyfriend Sebastián Villegas on Sunday evening
Isabella Villegas was forced by her alleged killer boyfriend, Sebastián Villegas, to send screenshots of conversations she had with her friends, according to testimony for her mother read out in court on Wednesday
Colombian army soldier Sebastián Villegas could be sentenced to up to 40 years in prison if he is found guilty of the murder of his model girlfriend Isabella Mesa on Sunday
Isabella Mesa’s uncle, Mauricio Mesa, told Caracol Television that Villegas confessed to his mother and stepfather that he had killed his girlfriend.
“She told the prosecutor that the boy confessed to her (the soldier’s mother) and her romantic partner that he had killed Isabella, that he had committed something very serious, that he had damaged his life,” Mauricio Mesa said.
Isabella Mesa was buried Wednesday afternoon.
“Isabella was a beautiful girl, full of dreams, who wanted to conquer the world and for me it was the best,” Sandra Mesa told the outlet. She was my first love, my friend and she even seemed like my sister.’
Villegas faces one count of aggravated femicide and faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted.