EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – A deadly confrontation between a man and his mother’s ex-boyfriend ended with the death of the ex-boyfriend on October 7 after a struggle escalated into a strangulation.
According to the arrest affidavit for 23-year-old Jeremiah Aguilar, El Paso County Sheriff’s office responded to a 911 call on Winter Spring Place at 1 a.m. to a report of an “unconscious male lying face down in the driveway.” The caller, 44-year-old Rosalinda Villa, was performing CPR on the 37-year-old Jerome Fanaro.
When emergency responders arrived they took Fanaro to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
The court document revealed what led up to the moment life-saving measures allegedly took place.
Investigators spoke with Villa, who explained to her that her son, Aguilar, had arrived at the home around 12:20 a.m. when he unexpectedly encountered Fanaro upstairs. During the encounter Aguilar told Fanaro he was not suppose to be there, but the exchange escalated.
Aguilar and Fanaro got into a fight that began inside the house then to the front driveway.
Villa told sheriff’s investigators that she witnessed her son and ex-boyfriend “wrestling.” At one point, Villa said she saw her son place Fanaro in a chokehold around the neck. Villa said that as she went inside the house to get belongings, she saw her son on his back with Fanaro on top of him, still in the chokehold. By the time Villa returned, she saw Fanaro lying unresponsive in the driveway with her son kneeling beside him. Aguilar told her he thought Fanaro was “faking it,” prompting her to call 911.
According to Aguilar’s conversation with detectives, he had intended to keep Fanaro at the home until law enforcement arrived, as Fanaro was known to “harass” Villa. Aguilar admitted to tightening the chokehold when Fanaro tried to escape, but loosened it when he noticed Fanaro’s breathing slowing down. He claimed that he did not realize how tight his grip had become and was unaware of the seriousness of the situation.
Aguilar also mentioned that Fanaro had apologized repeatedly during the struggle, telling him that he loved Villa. Aguilar, however, said he did not accept the apology, responding with harsh words and expressing that Fanaro’s actions toward his mother showed a lack of love.
Investigators later executed a search warrant at the home and recovered video footage from a security system at the property. The footage captured Aguilar holding Fanaro in the chokehold outside the home, shortly before the two moved out of the camera’s view.
The El Paso County Medical Examiner performed an autopsy on Fanaro and provided preliminary findings stating that the cause of death was strangulation.
Aguilar was was charged with criminal negligent homicide and was arrested and booked on Oct. 10. He was given a $50,000 cash or surety bond.
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