Man allegedly drags, chokes, suffocates girlfriend

A man allegedly dragged and choked his girlfriend, suffocated her with a pillow, and threatened to kill her and her 2-year-old son at their apartment unit on Capital Hill on Friday.

Lawson Santiago Renguul Jr., 26, was arrested on Friday after the alleged beating. He was arrested again on Saturday for allegedly grabbing and threatening to kill her child.

While allegedly beating the victim, Renguul asked the child if he wants him to kill his mother.

When two police officers first met with the victim on Friday, they observed her appears to be scared and was shaking.

At a hearing Monday, Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho maintained the $5,000 cash bail and set the preliminary hearing for Sept. 1 at 9am.

Assistant public defender Michael Sato was appointed as counsel for Renguul. Assistant attorney general Barbara Cepeda appeared for the government.

Police Detective Vincent A. Igisaiar stated in his report that two police officers responded to a private company in Illiyan, where they met the victim who called police for assistance.

Igisaiar said according to the victim, she and Renguul picked up her son on board their car at his relative’s house in As Perdido on Thursday at 6:30pm.

The girlfriend asked Renguul to stop driving recklessly because her son was in the backseat. He, however, put on his headphones and continued driving recklessly toward their apartment on Capitol Hill.

Upon arrival at their apartment unit, Renguul shouted profanities at her, held her son, and dragged her to the stairs of the apartment complex.

The girlfriend managed to run to their neighbors’ apartment. Renguul, however, yelled that he was going to kill her son.

For fear that he would hurt her son, the victim later returned to their unit. Renguul, however, allegedly started beating her up by locking her legs with his legs, choked her neck from behind, and covered her nose and mouth.

Renguul also allegedly tried to suffocate her by placing a pillow on her face for 5 to 10 minutes.

From 4am to 5am on Friday, the victim took her belongings, dropped her son to Renguul’s relative, went to work, and called 911.

At 11:04am Friday, police arrested Renguul at their apartment unit in Capitol Hill. The defendant was later released from jail as police conducted further investigation.

On Saturday at 1:44pm, the victim and her son returned to their apartment unit, but noticed that their curtains that she left open were already closed.

The victim decided to stay in the car, observed, and called Igisaiar. When she saw Renguul coming out from the apartment, she reversed the car to go out.

Renguul, however, jumped onto the car’s hood, shouting at her. She locked the car’s doors, but the rear door lock was still open.

Renguul grabbed her son and threatened he would kill the baby. The victim screamed at Renguul to give her baby back.

Renguul brought the baby to the front of the apartment. Igisaiar said he heard the shouting and screaming as the victim remained on the phone. The detective immediately reported the matter to the Department of Public Safety’s Central. Two officers responded and arrested again Renguul at 2:10pm.

The victim said she started dating Renguul only since October last year and that they decided to stay together only last March.