A Hialeah woman faced a judge Thursday after police say she attacked her boyfriend with a glass bottle and then attempted to clean up the crime scene.
According to Hialeah Police, 42-year-old Ailin Vargas Ginarte is accused of striking her boyfriend over the head around 5 a.m. Thursday inside the couple’s apartment at a complex in Hialeah. Officers responding to the scene found the victim in a stairwell, covered in blood.
A neighbor, who asked not to be identified, told NBC6 he heard the victim crying for help.
Investigators said a trail of blood led officers from the stairwell to the couple’s apartment. Inside, officers reported a strong smell of bleach, shattered glass on the floor and cleaning supplies scattered throughout the home.
“Inside the apartment, the first thing officers noticed was a strong smell of Clorox,” Hialeah Police Lt. Eddie Rodriguez said. “She continued to change her story. They also started to notice glass all over the floor as well as a mop and a bucket.”
Judge Mindy S. Glazer, who presided over Vargas Ginarte’s first appearance, noted that the suspect was “wiping up the blood drops on the floor” when police arrived. Ginarte appeared emotional during the hearing, at one point breaking into sobs.
Officials said the couple lived together for more than a year and that an argument escalated into violence. The victim, who was transported to Ryder Trauma Center, told first responders that Ginarte threatened to kill him if she were arrested.
Vargas Ginarte is charged with aggravated battery and tampering with physical evidence. Judge Glazer set her bond to a total of $10,000 for both charges and ordered that she have no contact with the victim.