(WHDH) — A 21-year-old man is facing a manslaughter charge in the death of a 19-year-old woman who he allegedly choked to death during a sexual encounter in the backseat of a car that was parked in a parking garage early Saturday morning.
Michael Gaffney, of Maywood, New Jersey, is being held at the Bergen County Jail on a charge of second-degree reckless manslaughter in connection with the death of Francis Victoria Garcia, according to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella.
Police officers and EMS responding to a 911 call for an unresponsive female in a vehicle parked at 140 Prospect Street in Hackensack around 2:15 a.m. treated Garcia before transporting her to Hackensack University Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead, Musella’s office said.
A subsequent investigation is said to have revealed that Garcia was in the rear seat of her vehicle with Gaffney at the time of her death. An autopsy determined that the death was caused by compression injuries to her neck.
Gaffney allegedly told police that they were having sex in Garcia’s car and that she lost consciousness when he put her hands around her neck, according to an affidavit obtained by NJ.com.
After the incident, Gaffney contacted a group of friends to tell them that Garcia was not breathing, the news outlet reported. A friend that came to the scene reportedly noticed that Garcia’s lips were purple.
Investigators said Gaffney and Garcia both had blood-alcohol levels that were more than three times the legal limit.
The affidavit indicated Gaffney and Garcia knew each other through mutual friends.
Gaffney is awaiting arraignment in Central Judicial Processing Court.
An investigation is ongoing.
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