An illegal alien, repeatedly freed into the United States by federal immigration officials, has been convicted of murdering 20-year-old Jared Vargas in San Antonio, Texas, last year.

A jury convicted 20-year-old Ernesto Esquivel-Garcia, an illegal alien from Mexico, of brutally murdering Vargas in June 2018 and then leaving his body in an apartment complex before setting it on fire.

Vargas, a cybersecurity student at the University of Texas at San Antonio, was found murdered by Esquivel-Garcia on June 18, 2018, when firefighters arrived at the scene of an apartment set ablaze.

Prosecutors said the illegal alien had brutally strangled and stabbed Vargas to death before setting his body on fire in the apartment complex. The murder occurred after Esquivel-Garcia had been twice released from police and federal custody back into the U.S. and was only given a voluntary deportation order despite having a criminal record.

In March 2017, the illegal alien was arrested for drunk driving and was eventually turned over to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. Though he was placed into deportation proceedings, an immigration judge allowed him to post bond, and he was released back into the interior of the country.

In May 2018, a month before Vargas was murdered, Esquivel-Garcia was again put into ICE custody and local police custody but was able to post bond and be released back into the U.S. with only the promise that he would self-deport.

Vargas’s mother, Lori, posted on the Facebook page dedicated to her son’s memory, calling the murder and the trial a “horrific experience” that has permanently separated her from her son.

“I would like to thank all those who have supported us through this horrific experience,” Lori Vargas wrote.

“Jared’s death was senseless, brutal and unnecessary at the hands of his murderer Ernesto Esquivel Garcia. Jared’s death was also preventable,” she continued:

His murderer, an illegal alien had been in ICE and Bexar County custody repeatedly, ending with an Immigration Judge granting a voluntary departure judgment. Just 2 weeks later, Ernesto murdered Jared. Because of this heinous act, I am permanently separated from my son and his siblings are permanently separated from their brother. [Emphasis added] Jared was a full time college student, sometimes working two jobs to support himself independently. His infectious spirit and funny “Jaredisims” brought laughter to those around him no matter what the circumstance was. I find myself thinking about Jared’s adventures and what kind of life he would have had; how many more people he would have met; lives positively touched/influenced by him. He was full of hopes, dreams and had unlimited determination to achieve all he wanted in life. [Emphasis added] The “simple truth” surrounding Jared’s death will forever be unknown. “How did he die? Why did he have to die? Did he die quickly? Did he suffer? What was going through his mind the moment he took his last breath?” — Those are the questions I am haunted with and those questions repeat in my head constantly. [Emphasis added] I didn’t get to see my son, hold his hand, and touch his face one last time. I said my final good bye looking at a casket through glass as he was cremated. I can no longer have silence in my house; I can no longer sit in peace with my thoughts because those questions surrounding Jared’s death consume me. I struggle grieving over the loss of a child while trying to be the supportive, involved and uplifting mom I have to be for my other two children, his twin brother and younger sister. “Flyin’ high on them positive vibes” was his motto and that summed up how he lived his life. I no longer get to hear those words spoken from Jared’s mouth. I have to now look at those words written on his urn in remembrance. I miss my son. I miss my Jared. [Emphasis added]

Esquivel-Garcia is set to be sentenced for murder at a later date and faces life in prison.

Jared Vargas leaves behind his twin brother, in college, and a little sister, in high school, as well as his parents and countless loved ones and friends. A GoFundMe page has been set up in his honor to help his twin brother and little sister in their schooling.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.