Cobb County Man Sentenced to Life for Girlfriend’s Murder; Daughters Witnessed Crime

Cobb County District Attorney Flynn D. Broady Jr. announced that 53-year-old Hugho Pacheco pleaded guilty to malice murder and aggravated sexual battery on November 18, 2024. Superior Court Judge Julie Adams Jacobs sentenced Pacheco to life in prison.

The charges stem from an April 25, 2023, incident in which Pacheco fatally shot his girlfriend, 58-year-old Yuridiana Villalobos, in their Cobb County home. According to prosecutors, Villalobos’ three juvenile daughters awoke to a loud noise and found their mother on the ground with Pacheco standing over her. Pacheco directed the children back to a bedroom, warning them to stay silent.

Moments later, the girls saw Pacheco outside their window, placing something into the trunk of Villalobos’ car before fleeing the scene. Fearing for their safety, the 13-year-old daughter sought help from a downstairs tenant, who provided a phone to call police.

Officers arrived to find Villalobos on the dining room floor, wrapped in a sheet, with a fatal gunshot wound to her abdomen. Evidence at the scene included a 9mm casing, scattered cell phones in the driveway, and underwear stuffed in Villalobos’ mouth.

During interviews, it was revealed that Pacheco had been sexually abusing one of the juvenile girls prior to the murder.

Approximately two weeks after the crime, Pacheco was apprehended in Alamo, Texas, by the U.S. Marshals.

“This life sentence ensures this predator will never harm another innocent person,” said District Attorney Flynn D. Broady Jr. “I commend the courage of the victim’s children and the swift, thorough work of law enforcement and prosecutors who brought Pacheco to justice.”

Senior Assistant District Attorneys Stephanie Green and Jared Horowitz, who prosecuted the case, highlighted the emotional toll on the children. “These little girls were separated from their father in 2021. Their mother let Pacheco into their home, thinking he would take care of them. She was horribly mistaken,” they said.

Defense counsel James Waring Gibert represented Pacheco in court.