A man found guilty of three charges related to attacking his girlfriend was sentenced to a combined 15 years in prison, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
Alfredo Julio Baguer Villa, 29, of Lynn Haven, was found guilty as charged June 30 of Domestic Battery by Strangulation, Aggravated Assault (Deadly Weapon), and False Imprisonment. Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stephenson Friday sentenced him to 5 years on each count, ordering that they be served consecutively, or one after the other.
“This sentence sends a message that victims of domestic violence are taken seriously when they come forward,” Prosecutor Christopher Walters said. “With their help we can continue to hold their abusers accountable.”
At trial, Lynn Haven Police Department Officer Tyler 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.
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.