Man beats pregnant girlfriend with pipe; causes miscarriage, police say

Police officers in Las Cruces arrested a man accused of brutally beating his pregnant girlfriend with a metal pipe, causing her to suffer a miscarriage. The woman was 15 weeks pregnant, police said.

25-year-old Timothy Trejo-Vigil, of the 2400 block of Lester Avenue, is charged with a second-degree felony count of Attempted Murder, two counts of Aggravated Battery Against a Family Member Using a Deadly Weapon, two counts of Aggravated Battery Causing Great Bodily Harm and one count of Injury to a Pregnant Woman. Police said Trejo-Vigil also faces misdemeanor counts of Battery Against a Household Member and Animal Cruelty.

Las Cruces Police Spokesman Dan Trujillo told ABC-7 Trejo-Vigil was not charged with murder for the death of the unborn child because New Mexico State Law does not classify a fetus as a human being.

Police were dispatched to the report of an injured 22-year-old woman at a residence on Lester Avenue at about 9 a.m. Thursday, May 10, 2018. Police learned the victim is Trejo-Vigil’s girlfriend of five years. The woman lived at the residence with Trejo-Vigil and his mother.

Trujillo told ABC-7 prosecutors would have a hard time prosecuting the man if it had not been for the evidence. “The victim in this case was defending her abuser. It’s pretty hard. Unless we have facts like we had in this case, it’s pretty hard to charge” someone in these type of circumstances, Trujillo said.

At first, the woman allegedly told police she was attacked by two intruders who broke in through a window and tried to steal a TV and a laptop computer. The woman was transported to Memorial Medical Center and then airlifted to University Medical Center of El Paso. Police later learned Trejo-Vigil left the home just prior to police being called.

Investigators learned the 22-year-old woman’s story of being attacked by intruders was a lie allegedly made up by the woman and Trejo-Vigil. Investigators also learned Trejo-Vigil had a history of domestic abuse against the same woman.

Trejo-Vigil allegedly told police he and the victim argued, then started drinking. Trejo-Vigil said he fell asleep, and that when he woke up, he found the victim beaten, bruised, bleeding, bitten and with multiple stab wounds.

After conducting their investigation, LCPD investigators learned Trejo-Vigil allegedly struck the woman several times. Investigators believe Trejo-Vigil used heavy metal pipe, and possibly a broken broom handle, to severely beat his girlfriend. The woman also had several human bite marks to her body, and multiple stab wounds to her knees and arms, police said. The woman suffered a broken jaw, broken nose and a large open wound to her forehead.

“At the UMC intensive care unit, medical professionals determined the woman was 15-weeks pregnant and had experienced a still-birth as a result of the physical trauma she suffered,” police said in a news release.

During the investigation at Trejo-Vigil’s residence, police allegedly found a cat locked in a small pet carrier, inside a closet. The pet carrier was soaked in urine and the cat had no access to food or water, police said,

Trejo-Vigil was located and arrested Friday afternoon. He’s being held without bond at the Dona Ana County Detention Center and additional charges are possible.