By: Jacob Kessler
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jacob@thevillagereporter.com
A Wauseon man charged in the fatal stabbing of his father and the assault of his mother has been found not guilty by reason of insanity following a bench trial held Tuesday in Fulton County Common Pleas Court.
Jose D. Aguilera-Cespedes, twenty-seven, stood trial on charges of murder, felonious assault, possessing criminal tools, and domestic violence stemming from an incident on Aug. 12th, 2023.
Court records show he previously waived his right to a jury trial during an October competency hearing, signing the waiver in open court after being found competent to proceed.
During Tuesday’s proceedings, both the prosecution and defense submitted stipulated evidence and agreed that Aguilera-Cespedes should be found not guilty by reason of insanity.
Judge Scott Haselman accepted those stipulations and concluded that while the State proved all elements of the offenses, Aguilera-Cespedes had established that he did not know the wrongfulness of his actions due to a severe mental disease or defect. The court then entered a formal finding of not guilty by reason of insanity.
According to earlier statements from Wauseon Police, officers were called to 407 East Park Street on Aug. 12th, 2023, where they found Edwin Aguilera, sixty-four, deceased from multiple stab wounds and Candeleria Cespedes de Aguilera injured.
Jose Aguilera-Cespedes, the couple’s son, was later arrested in Maryland, where he faced separate charges connected to a vehicle pursuit, according to prior reports.
Maryland court records show he faced additional charges there, including assault and fleeing, and was initially found incompetent to stand trial in August 2023.
After a one-year review, he was deemed competent in October 2024 and entered a plea of not criminally responsible. In May 2025, a Maryland court ruled he was not criminally responsible and was released back to Ohio authorities.
Following Tuesday’s verdict, Judge Haselman ruled there was probable cause to believe Aguilera-Cespedes is a mentally ill person subject to hospitalization or institutionalization by court order.
He ordered Aguilera-Cespedes into temporary custody at the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio for up to ten court days or until a further hearing on the matter, which has been set for Wednesday, December 10th at 9:00 a.m.
The court also waived all costs associated with the case.