A Utah teenager has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term following a horrific crime in which he brutally stabbed a friend over 30 times, mutilated the body, and disposed of the remains in a cargo trailer.

Rowdy Lee Aguilar, who is now 21, received a sentence ranging from 25 years to life for the murder of 15-year-old Ivan “Nik” Vetecnik in Salt Lake City. Aguilar had entered a guilty plea to aggravated murder, acknowledging a mental health condition, in the previous month.

During Aguilar’s sentencing, Vetecnik’s sister, Samantha VanTreese, delivered a poignant victim impact statement, addressing Aguilar directly.

“You were his friend,” she expressed, as reported by NBC affiliate KSL. “He trusted you. My brother admired you. In return, you gave him terror, pain, and left him alone in his final moments. I cannot fathom how someone could commit such a heinous act. I hope you reflect on the life you took—not in a distant or abstract sense, but specifically on him. His laughter. His innocence. His family. What you have destroyed is irreplaceable.”

VanTreese also mentioned that Aguilar spoke to the victim’s family during the proceedings.

“He said, ‘I just want the family to know that Nik did absolutely nothing to me. And I’m sorry for being a snake. I’m sorry for being a monster,’” VanTreese told the outlet.

As Law&Crime previously reported, Aguilar was 17 when he murdered Vetecnik on May 26, 2021.

Prosecutors said surveillance video showed the two buddies go into Aguilar’s home around 10 a.m. on the day of the murder. More than three hours later, Aguilar walked out of the home alone with a blood-soaked shirt. He then went to a nearby business carrying garbage bags.

Aguilar’s father called police later that day when he found Vetecnik’s body in the trailer, which “smelled strongly of cleaning agents,” cops said.

Investigators recovered a bloody leather glove and a knife inside the trailer, along with the remains. Other body parts were recovered behind the home.

Aguilar initially denied even knowing Vetecnik and claimed he was at his girlfriend’s house all day. He had cuts to his hands, which he claimed came from slicing ribs for a barbecue. The defendant eventually admitted to killing his friend, saying “I did it.” Investigators never publicly revealed a motive for the attack.

Aguilar will remain at a youth facility until he is 25 before being moved to the adult prison, where he will serve the remainder of his sentence.

Vetecnik’s sister Samantha VanTreese wrote in a Facebook post that the guilty plea felt like a win.

“But at the end of the day no amount of time in prison will ever be enough!” she wrote. “He took my baby brother in the worst way possible!”