West Valley man arrested in connection with death in Tempe
TEMPE, Ariz. - Court documents state a West Valley man has been arrested in connection with a death, after police found out he was allegedly preparing to flee the country.
According to the documents, 23-year-old Oscar Francisco Aguiluz was arrested at his home in Litchfield Park in connection with an incident that unraveled on Mar. 5 in Tempe.
Aguiluz, according to investigators, was headed south on Priest Drive in Tempe during the early morning hours of Mar. 5 with a passenger when Aguiluz failed to negotiate a left curve on the roadway, and drove off to the right hand side of the roadway.
Investigators say according to data collected by the car's event data recorder, Aguiluz went off the roadway at 75 mph. The area's speed limit is 35 mph.
"Aguiluz continued driving south through a landscaped area between the roundabout and the parking lot of 7404 S. Priest Drive. Aguiluz drove in the landscaping for approximate ly 340 feet before colliding head on with a palm tree at approximately 53 mph," read a portion of the documents. "The vehicle then rotated about the tree, coming to rest after the left rear of the vehicle struck a steel bus stop cover."
Oscar Francisco Aguiluz
A passerby, according to investigator, stopped after seeing Aguiluz's crashed vehicle, and made contact with him. When Aguiluz was asked if anyone else was inside the car, Aguiluz led the passerby to the passenger side of the car.
"When Aguiluz opened the front passenger door, the lifeless body of [name redacted from the document] partially fell out of the now-open passenger door," read a portion of the documents. "Aguiluz then dragged [name redacted from the document] from the front passenger seat of the vehicle out the now-open passenger door and out into the landscaped area."
Aguiluz, according to officials, had a breath alcohol level of 0.144 when he took a preliminary breath test. Neither Aguiluz or the passenger were wearing their seat belts at the time of the incident. When Aguiluz was taken to the hospital, it was discovered that he suffered a fractured cervical vertebra that required surgery.
"Following Aguiluz's release from the hospital last week, police were alerted that Aguiluz was preparing to go to El Salvador, where he has relatives and friends," officials wrote, in the court documents.
Aguiluz, according to officials, is accused of Manslaughter, Endangerment, and Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon or Instrument. A judge has set a $15,000 bond for Aguiluz, and he is required to undergo drug and alcohol testing and monitoring, should he make bail.
A public attorney will be appointed for Aguiluz, according to court documents.