Man who shot sleeping friend, then took his car, handed 47-year sentence

A man convicted of fatally shooting his sleeping friend in Ramona, then stuffing the victim’s body in a trash can, was sentenced Tuesday to 47 years to life in state prison.

Sean Joseph Hawksworth, 26, was found guilty by an El Cajon jury in May of first-degree murder and other charges for the Oct. 20, 2023, killing of Eduardo Aguilar Alba, 26, who was found dead inside his 16th Street home.

Prosecutors say Alba was asleep in his bedroom when Hawksworth shot him in the head. Afterward, Hawksworth stole the victim’s Camaro and and some items of clothing, including designer sneakers.

In the days after the slaying, Hawksworth returned to the home several times, in what prosecutors allege was an attempt to hide his involvement in the murder. They also said he continued dealing drugs “as though nothing had happened.”

Hawksworth was arrested on Nov. 3 at his Ramona home. The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office said items stolen from Alba were found inside a storage unit Hawksworth had rented, then transferred into his brother’s name.

Superior Court Judge Patricia Cookson, who sentenced Hawksworth on Tuesday, said the crime involved “a high degree of callousness” in regards to the defendant’s theft of the victim’s property and his efforts to cover up the crime.

He was also convicted of residential burglary, grand theft and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

At the sentencing hearing, Hawksworth offered “my sincere condolences” to about a dozen of Alba’s family members in attendance

“Eddie was my friend. I never foresaw this happening when I met him,” Hawksworth said. “I never wanted this to happen. I do deeply regret that I did kill Eddie.”