The case includes claims of prior threats, a FaceTime witness and a disputed weapon.
TUCSON, Ariz. — A domestic violence case against Jesus Arturo Guerrero-Martinez is moving through Pima County after police said a dispute over a laptop escalated into strangling, a FaceTime call for help and a threat with a fake gun.
The April 30 arrest brought together several allegations that prosecutors may use to show danger and intent. Guerrero-Martinez, 30, faces two domestic violence aggravated assault counts, kidnapping and aggravated assault with a simulated weapon. Police say the victim was his girlfriend. Her name has not been publicly released in the reported court account. Guerrero-Martinez is being held on a $150,000 bond and is presumed innocent unless convicted.
Unlike cases built only from statements made after police arrive, this one includes a reported witness who saw part of the alleged attack in real time. Police said the woman managed to call her mother on FaceTime while Guerrero-Martinez was strangling her in a bedroom. The mother later told investigators that she watched the attack on her screen and then drove to the apartment. The public complaint does not say whether the mother saw the start of the incident, whether she heard threats during the call or whether the phone showed the entire room.
The police narrative says the conflict started when Guerrero-Martinez accused the woman of trying to damage his laptop. The woman had the computer because she wanted to watch a movie, according to the complaint. Police said she returned it to avoid a fight. As she moved back toward the living room, he allegedly grabbed her throat and dragged her into the bedroom. There, authorities said, he threw her onto a bed, got on top of her and strangled her again with his hands and forearm. The woman also said he hit her in the face several times.
After repeated efforts to free herself, the woman escaped from the bedroom, police said. Authorities said Guerrero-Martinez then pulled out an object she believed was a gun and threatened her. Investigators later said a search warrant found a metal flashlight instead. That finding is why one charge refers to a simulated weapon. The complaint does not publicly identify the apartment complex, the time of day, the number of officers who responded or the full sequence of events after the mother left for the apartment.
The case took on added weight during Guerrero-Martinez’s court appearance the night of his arrest. A prosecutor told the court that he “has previously tried to kill the victim, has previously threatened to kill the victim, and has previously strangled the victim.” Those claims were made in court as part of the state’s presentation, but the reported account did not list dates or case numbers for the earlier allegations. It is unknown from the public report whether those prior claims were documented in police reports, medical records, past court filings or witness statements.
Domestic violence strangulation allegations often receive close attention in court because the act can leave limited visible injury while still carrying serious risk. In this case, the charging document described two separate moments involving pressure to the woman’s throat. The first allegedly happened as she was moving away from the laptop dispute. The second allegedly happened after she was forced into the bedroom. Prosecutors may use that sequence to argue that the encounter was not a single brief struggle. Defense lawyers may challenge the state’s version, the witness accounts and the conclusions drawn from the recovered flashlight.
The procedural steps ahead will determine how much of the account becomes evidence in open court. Prosecutors must decide how to proceed with formal filings, and the defense can seek discovery, review police reports and challenge the basis for any restrictions on Guerrero-Martinez. A judge may revisit bond or release conditions if either side requests a change. Future hearings could also clarify whether the woman’s mother will testify, whether medical evidence exists and whether police obtained any digital data linked to the FaceTime call.
For now, the public record gives only the early account of the case. It includes the woman’s description, her mother’s statement, the search warrant finding and the prosecutor’s claim of earlier violence. It does not include a full defense account. Police said Guerrero-Martinez denied that the incident happened as described. His attorney spoke for him at the first hearing, according to the reported account.
Guerrero-Martinez remained held at the Pima County Adult Detention Center on the reported bond while the case awaited its next court steps. The next milestone is expected to come through formal filings or another hearing in Pima County.
Author note: Last updated May 23, 2026.