A South Florida man who police say failed to get medical help for his severely burned girlfriend and instead sexually assaulted her must stay in jail until trial, a judge said Wednesday.
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Juan Lopez, 41, was arrested Friday for allegedly filming himself sexually battering his girlfriend after she’s been severely burned and was either dying or dead, authorities said.
According to an arrest warrant, on Jan. 27, North Miami Police received a call from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue about the death of a 23-year-old woman at a home in the 400 block of Northwest 125th Street.
The victim had been found with burns on over 80-90% of her body, the warrant said.
Lopez, her boyfriend, told investigators they had taken in a stray cat the night before that had defecated inside the home, and that the victim had used rubbing alcohol to clean up the mess but lit a candle that set her on fire, the warrant said.
He said he helped extinguish the flames and told her she had to go to the hospital but she refused to go, and told fire rescue workers that she has a drug problem, takes Ecstasy, and didn’t feel the pain, the warrant said.
Police seized his cell phone that contained multiple videos taken after his girlfriend was burned, and in the videos, the woman is seen lying in a black plastic tote inside a shower filled with what appears to be soapy water, the warrant said.
In one video he tells her “We set a rule on the shower. you can’t have the water running when I’m not here,” adding “I poked a hole in that thing to make sure you don’t drown in there” and “God forbid I don’t get back here in time, you’re gonna unalive yourself,” the warrant said.
Lopez’s search history included “how 2 treat second degree burns,” “oxy for burn pain,” “fetty distribution Miami,” and “gf od in house was hurt can they search my house,” the warrant said.
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“This search history shows that the Subject was aware of the extent of the Decedent’s injuries and that he was not intending to seek the appropriate medical attention necessary for those injuries,” the warrant said. “Instead, the Subject appears to be treating the injuries with various narcotics to the point that he believed that the Decedent had overdosed and he was concerned about the Residence being searched by the police.”
Investigators also found messages on Lopez’s phone from after the girlfriend was burned of a conversation with a man regarding buying drugs including “T” or “tina,” referring to methamphetamine, and “Tusi,” referring to pink cocaine, the warrant said.
Toxicology results from the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office showed that the girlfriend had cocaine, Fentanyl, ketamine, and methamphetamine in her blood, the warrant said.
Investigators also discovered another video from Jan. 27 that shows the injured victim on a bed engaging in apparent sex acts with Lopez, the warrant said.
“During this video, the Decedent is not heard speaking or making any noise and no further movement is seen that would lead Your Affiant to believe that the Decedent was able to communicate any form of willingness to participate in this act,” the warrant said.
Instead of calling for medical help, Lopez video called his brother.
On Wednesday, Judge Ellen Venzer refused to grant Lopez a bond after watching the disturbing videos.
“The woman is grotesquely burned,” Venzer said. “Whether or not he gave her the drugs or not she was unable to consent.”
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Lopez, wearing an orange jail outfit, broke down in tears during the hearing.
Lopez has not been charged in connection to the woman’s death.