LCPD: Woman assaulted boyfriend, attempted to kill man by setting apartment on fire
Police arrested a Las Cruces woman and charged her with attempted murder after the woman allegedly set fire to an apartment on March 8th , critically injuring her boyfriend.
Cynthia Misquez Perez, 47, of the 1000 block of Pueblo Street, is charged with one second-degree felony count of ” Depraved Mind Attempted First-Degree Murder ” and a single count of arson.
” She left him to die, ” said Las Cruces Police Spokesman Dan Trujillo, ” He was in critical condition at the hospital. He had some serious injuries. ”
Investigators learned Perez and her boyfriend, 35-year-old Eric Dean, who resides in the small apartment at 317 E. Lucero Avenue, got into an argument that turned physical about 11 p.m. on Thursday, March 7, 2019.
During the physical confrontation, Perez allegedly struck her boyfriend over the head with a frying pan. The strike briefly knocked the man unconscious, police said. When the man regained consciousness, a portion of his apartment was on fire.
Investigators learned the man extinguished the relatively small fire and the couple presumably called a truce before going to bed.
A few hours later, about 2:40 a.m. on Friday, March 8, police and firefighters were dispatched to a fire at the apartment.
Police located the 35-year-old man outside the residence and suffering from multiple injuries, including two black eyes, bite marks on his back, scratch marks, and bruising to his head and knees. It was also determined he suffered from smoke inhalation. He was transported to Memorial Medical Center and has since been discharged.
Police said investigators determined Perez set fire to the apartment sometime after midnight before leaving her boyfriend alone in the small apartment unit. Fire investigators discovered remnants of charred paper, pillow and feathers on top of the stove where the fire is believed to have originated.
Firefighters contained the blaze to the man’s apartment and cleared the two adjacent units. Aside from Perez’s boyfriend, no one else was hurt, police said.
The man’s apartment sustained heavy damage as a result of the fire, and the two adjacent units were damaged by smoke and water. The American Red Cross was called to help other tenants in the small apartment complex.
Investigators obtained a warrant for the arrest of Perez and she was detained March 25, 2019. Perez will initially be held without bond at the Dona Ana County Detention Center.
