Lincoln man sentenced to 19 years in prison for death of partner

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - A Lincoln man was sentenced to 19 years in prison for the death of a man he was in an intimate relationship with.

Joshua Larsen, 35, took a plea deal in March and was found guilty on three charges: manslaughter, domestic assault, and terroristic threats for the death of 45-year old Robert Aguirre.

On Friday, a judge ordered Larsen to spend 19-20 years in prison for the crimes - half of the maximum 40 years he could have faced.

Larsen was arrested in September of 2022 after officers found Aguirre dead inside a home near North 6th Street and Madison Avenue. Larsen was originally charged with Second Degree Murder, but that was later changed to manslaughter.

According to court records, Larsen told investigators he went to Aguirre’s house to purchase narcotics, but Aguirre would not sell him any. After leaving for a short time, Larsen returned and an argument ensued.

Larsen told investigators Aguirre started hitting him, so he put him in a headlock and took him to the ground. He then positioned a “leg choke” around Aguirre’s neck, according to the documents. After a minute, Larsen told investigators Aguirre went unconscious, so he attempted CPR but was unsuccessful.

Larsen told LPD he went back to the house over the next several days and placed Aguirre in the bathtub and used Clorox to clean up the scene.

On Friday, Larsen was also sentenced an additional 2-3 years for assaulting an officer in a separate incident.

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