Inset: Jesus Arturo Guerrero-Martinez appears in court (KOLD). Background: The Pima County Adult Detention Center in Tucson, Ariz. (Google Maps).
An Arizona resident finds himself incarcerated following multiple incidents where he allegedly strangled his girlfriend, including one occurrence under surveillance, as per Grand Canyon State law enforcement reports.
Jesus Arturo Guerrero-Martinez, 30, faces charges of domestic violence, specifically two counts of aggravated assault, along with additional charges of kidnapping and using a simulated weapon in an assault, according to information from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
Authorities from the Tucson Police Department apprehended the suspect on April 30, with Guerrero-Martinez making a court appearance later that evening.
The altercation reportedly began when Guerrero-Martinez accused his girlfriend of attempting to damage his laptop, as detailed in an interim complaint accessed by Tucson’s CBS affiliate KOLD and NBC affiliate KVOA.
The girlfriend acknowledged having the laptop, intending to watch a movie, according to police. In an effort to prevent discord, she returned the laptop to Guerrero-Martinez, the complaint states.
Nonetheless, authorities report that the dispute escalated regardless.
On the way back to the living room, Guerrero-Martinez allegedly grabbed the woman by the throat and dragged her into the bedroom.
In the bedroom, the defendant threw his girlfriend on the bed, got on top of her, and then used his hands and forearm to strangle her a second time, according to the charging document.
At some point, amid the strangulation, however, the woman was able to call her mother on FaceTime, police said. The woman’s mother later told police she saw Guerrero-Martinez strangling her daughter on the screen, which prompted her to drive over to the apartment.
The alleged victim also told police that the defendant hit her multiple times in the face, according to the interim complaint.
Eventually, after various efforts to extricate herself from the situation, the woman was able to break free and get out of the bedroom, police said. When the woman escaped, Guerrero-Martinez pulled out what she thought was a gun and allegedly threatened her.
As it turned out, the purported firearm was actually just a metal flashlight that simulated a gun, according to the complaint, citing the results of a search warrant executed by law enforcement.
The defendant spoke up once during the investigation to say the incident described by the woman did not, in fact, happen, police claim.
In court on Thursday night, a prosecutor alleged the defendant “has previously tried to kill the victim, has previously threatened to kill the victim, and has previously strangled the victim.”
Guerrero-Martinez, for his part, kept mum while his attorney did the talking, according to footage of the hearing obtained by KOLD.
The defendant is currently detained in the Pima County Adult Detention Center on $150,000 bond, jail records show.
