GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas – A man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for beating his girlfriend who was six months pregnant with his child at the time.
On June 08, 2021, Galveston County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a 911 call regarding an assault at a motel in San Leon. The victim reported that her boyfriend, Michael Alegria, of Alvin, had shown up at her motel room in the morning, after having a fight the night before, and immediately began assaulting her.
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The woman said Alegria punched her repeatedly in the face and head and struck her on the back with a frying pan. The victim also reported that Alegria grabbed a pocket knife and held it to her throat while threatening to kill her while he held her down on the bed.
Law enforcement officers said they recovered a knife from the bed of the motel room. Alegria, who was 36 years old at the time, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony.
The trial, which began on Monday, started off with testimony from Alegria’s girlfriend talking about the abuse she endured. Photos of the woman’s injuries, including bruising to her face, neck, and back corroborated her testimony, authorities said.
Prosecutors also provided the jury with the knife Alegria used to threaten his girlfriend.
In closing, ADA Casey McKim urged the jury to consider how all of the evidence in the case supported the victim’s testimony, and to do the right thing by returning a guilty verdict.
The jury returned a verdict of guilty on Wednesday morning. Alegria then agreed to a sentence of 10 years in prison. Under Texas law, Alegria will be eligible for parole after serving one-half of his sentence.