In Fairbanks, Alaska, Abraham Stine, 39, reportedly punched his cousin, Wesley Lord, 37, to death after he found that his girlfriend, Dominique Vasquez, had slept with Lord during a night of allegedly drinking and smoking methamphetamine with others in a hotel room.
Stine told investigators that Lord had raped Vasquez, but one witness who was part at the party told police that the sex was consensual, while another witness said he came out of the shower to find Stine holding a knife and warning him that he had to say Lord had raped Vasquez.
Stine and Vasquez, both from Barrow, have been accused of second-degree murder.
Alaska State Troopers investigator Joseph Harris said Stine phoned police and told them to come to the Extended Stay Hotel about 5 a.m. Wednesday. Stine insisted that Lord had just raped Vasquez. When police arrived, they handcuffed Lord, who was naked and face-down on the bed. Harris said, “They began to restrain the subject by putting him in handcuffs, at which point they noted his hands felt stiff and he was not breathing. They found no pulse and summoned (emergency medical services), who confirmed the subject was deceased.”
Stine reportedly told police that he had been at the party all day, but they “ditched” him, whereupon he left, only to return and find Lord and Vasquez in the middle of intercourse.
Harris said that one witness “opened the window and told Stine that Lord had just raped Vasquez. Stine crawled in through the window and charged Lord and a physical altercation ensued. Stine admitted to holding Lord down and punching him several times. After Lord wasn’t fighting back, Stine continued to punch him in the face for 5-10 minutes.”
Harris added that the same witness “also said after Stine attacked Lord, Vasquez went over to Lord and was covering his mouth with her hand and it appeared she was choking him.”
Vasquez first claimed that Lord had raped her, but later retracted that statement. Harris asserted, “Later, Vasquez admitted she lied about being raped by Lord and she had consensual sex with him. Vasquez knew Stine had a history of assaulting people from her personal experience. She noted Stine had previously held her down with his knee on her chest making it difficult for her to breathe.”
Stine formerly managed the city-operated alcohol distribution center in Barrow but left last April.
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