A man accused of beating, choking, and threatening his girlfriend while refusing to let her leave was found guilty of multiple charges Tuesday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
Alfredo Julio Baguer Villa, 29, of Lynn Haven, was found guilty as charged of Domestic Battery by Strangulation, Aggravated Assault (Deadly Weapon), and False Imprisonment. Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson set sentencing for July 24.
“This verdict sends a message that victims of domestic violence are taken seriously when they come forward,” Walters said. “With their help we can continue to hold their abusers accountable.”
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Prosecutor Christopher Walters needed only 2 witnesses to prove his case: responding Lynn Haven Police Department Officer Tyler Buckalew and the victim.
Buckalew testified he was on duty March 30, 2025, when he was dispatched to a domestic disturbance. He said he found the victim walking some distance from her residence because she had fled in fear after being choked and threatened with a knife.
“She was clearly frightened,” Buckalew testified. “She fled because she wasn’t safe.”
The victim said the defendant got angry in the bathroom that day and punched her in the face. He was initially blocking her from leaving the bathroom but she got out when he showered.
“I was just grabbing my stuff I had to have in the bedroom trying to get out and he came storming in the room and knocked me on the bed,” she said.
The victim said the defendant choked her and used a pocketknife to stab the air mattress near her head twice while threatening her. “I thought he was going to kill me,” she said.
After she escaped, the defendant left. Police arrested him on a warrant three weeks later.
Basford thanked the Lynn Haven Police Department for its handling of the call that night and ensuing investigation.
For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.