A Wauseon resident accused of killing his father last year continues to be held without bond, following a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity in Fulton County Common Pleas Court.
Jose D. Aguilera-Cespedes, 27, faces several charges, including murder, felonious assault, possessing criminal tools, and domestic violence.
Court records indicate he was arraigned on these counts after an incident on August 12, 2023, at the family’s home, where his father, Edwin Aguilera, 64, was fatally stabbed and his mother, Candeleria Cespedes de Aguilera, sustained injuries.
After entering his plea, Aguilera-Cespedes’ attorney requested a competency hearing. The court subsequently ordered a psychiatric evaluation at the Court Diagnostic and Treatment Center in Toledo to assess his ability to stand trial.
Proceedings have been paused pending the results of this evaluation. At the state’s request, and with agreement from the defense, the court ordered that Aguilera-Cespedes be held without bond at the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio.
Authorities allege that Aguilera-Cespedes intentionally caused his father’s death and inflicted harm on his mother during the same incident.
He was apprehended after a period in Maryland, where he had been held at the Frederick County Detention Center. There, he faced separate charges related to allegedly striking a police vehicle during a pursuit on Interstate 70.
Court documents from Maryland reveal that Aguilera-Cespedes was initially found incompetent to stand trial in August 2023. However, a subsequent review in October 2024 determined that he was competent, at which point he entered a plea of not criminally responsible.
In May 2025, he was found not criminally responsible after a further evaluation and underwent a review for potential dangerousness. He was granted conditional release in Maryland earlier this summer.
With the Maryland proceedings concluded, authorities executed the Fulton County warrant earlier this week, resulting in Aguilera-Cespedes’ transfer to local custody. He will remain at the regional jail while the Ohio case moves forward.
Aguilera-Cespedes is represented by counsel as the court awaits the results of the latest competency assessment.