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Zachary Abell and Christina Araujo were found guilty of the 2018 murder of Aileen Seiden. They both received individual sentences for this homicide, many years after they were arrested for the crime, and are now in prison, serving their sentences.
Season 34 episode 10 of 48 Hours, titled, Who Killed Aileen Seiden in Room 15? will focus on this murder case which is already available to stream on Paramount+, and will air on CBS on October 19, 2024, at 10 pm EST.
The synopsis for the same reads:
"Three people check into a Florida motel room. Only two walk out alive."
Zachary Abell and Christina Araujo were arrested in 2018 for the murder of Aileen Seiden
Reportedly, the dead body of Aileen Seiden was found days after she was killed, on the side of Highway 98 in Florida on April 23, 2018. Additionally, room 15 of Sportsman Lodge, which was only a short distance away from where the body was found, was discovered in a bloodied state. Follow which it did not take authorities long enough to link both crime scenes.
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Upon further investigation, it was found that Zachary Abell, Christina Araujo, and Aileen Seiden had all booked room 15 at the Sportsman Lodge. Before the murder, the three of them were traveling together and were involved in a romantic triangle.
According to the autopsy report, Aileen Seiden was severely beaten to death and sustained numerous wounds, including a cracked skull, broken limbs, and broken ribs.
Allegedly, Zachary Abell was violent with both of the women, ever since the three of them had gotten into the relationship. Seiden has also revealed to her friend before her death that she was a victim of abuse. Her friend who decided to remain anonymous, told 48 Hours that:
"This whole dynamic started to change where one of them always seemed to be the odd man out or was jealous. And at that point it just started to spiral out of control. Aileen would call me… and say, You have to come over here, like he hurt me again...She wouldn't tolerate being messed with usually by anyone. However, there was something different about this."
Zachary Abell did not plead guilty to the murder
Zachary Abell and Christina Araujo were arrested in 2018, and charged with murder and evidence tampering after the police received a tip from an unnamed individual who claimed to know both of the main suspects. The two allegedly went to stay with this acquaintance after killing Aileen and even confessed to her murder.
After Zachary Abell and Christina Araujo's arrest, the couple stayed in separate prisons for years, awaiting trial. In 2023, Araujo pled guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. She also testified against Zachary Abell, claiming that he was the one who forced her to partake in this crime.
Abell, on the other hand, did not plead guilty to the crime. However, in 2024, he was found guilty of second-degree murder, and sentenced to life in prison.
To know more about this case, watch the upcoming episode of 48 Hours on CBS, titled Who Killed Aileen Seiden in Room 15?
