A Florida resident faces death row charges after allegedly assaulting his girlfriend, killing her and wounding her roommate early Sunday morning.
Christopher Pequin, 33, faces multiple charges, including first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and aggravated assault with a lethal weapon, according to the Polk County Sheriff. Pequin’s unidentified friend allegedly told her roommate that she feared Beijing might kill her after they had an argument that morning.
His girlfriend allegedly told her roommate that Pequin “put her hand over her nose and mouth so she couldn’t breathe,” and that she wanted a restraining order against him. Pequin then entered a neighbor’s bedroom with a pistol, pointing the pistol at two women and another roommate, the sheriff’s office reported.
Beijing allegedly shot its girlfriend “several times,” and her roommate was also shot while trying to protect her, the sheriff’s office said. Two roommates handed Pequin their cell phones and ran to a neighbor’s house to call 911.
The women were taken to a local hospital, where the girl died and her roommate was in stable condition.
Pequin was arrested after fleeing the scene and allegedly trying to hide cell phones and weapons, the sheriff’s office said. The 33-year-old criminal has 18 crimes and 17 misdemeanors.
“This is an example of how terrible domestic violence can be,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement. “Christopher Beijing is a coward and a killer.
Polk County’s court records show that Beijing was sentenced to two years in prison in 2017 after pleading guilty to an attempted felony charge. A felony conviction is forfeiture of the right to obtain a firearms license in Florida, unless the person has been reinstated at the State Executive Office of Pardon.
As the sheriff’s office told NBC News on Monday, it is unclear how he got the gun.
Pequin has yet to appear in court and was in custody Monday afternoon at Polk County Jail. Inmate records show that Pequeen is not eligible for bail and does not have a lawyer named for representation.
Fatal murder is punishable by death or life in prison in Florida. There are currently 339 prisoners on death row in Florida.