Alburquerque, NM: Ex-Boyfriend Charged in Woman's Death

Ex-Boyfriend Charged in Woman's Death

By Jeff Proctor
Journal Staff Writer
Homicide suspect Dorall Smith had a history of threats and violence against his ex-girlfriend, 19-year-old Dawn Monique Vigil, whose bloody body was discovered Thursday morning.
In May, Smith, 32, allegedly hit Vigil with a telephone, then punched her in the face, court records state. He fled the residence before police arrived, and a warrant was later issued for his arrest after he failed to appear in court.
In the days after that incident, Vigil told her mother that Smith had threatened her, saying "if she was ever with anyone else, he would kill her," court records state.
According to police, Smith followed through on his threat.
He saw Vigil driving down Central Avenue with another man Wednesday evening, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court. Smith screamed several obscenities at his former girlfriend.
Around 4:30 a.m. Thursday, a newspaper deliveryman discovered Vigil's body, covered in blood, lying on a sidewalk at the northwest corner of Chico and Chelwood Park NE, police said.
Authorities believe Vigil was likely killed at the site. She had been either beaten or stabbed to death, police say. The Office of the Medical Investigator will determine cause of death.
Smith was arrested around 10 p.m. Thursday and charged with murder, the complaint states. He told police that he had been at a friend's house at the time of the killing, but that contradicted statements made by the friend.
Smith also told detectives that he had seen Vigil on Central on Wednesday and that she had been "very friendly with him and wanted to get together," the complaint states.
That contradicted statements police obtained from the man Vigil had been with Wednesday, who said she was "shaking in fear" during the encounter, according to the complaint.
Finally, Smith explained to police that he had gotten the large cut on his hand from a patio door, the complaint reads. But near where Vigil's body was found, "a blood trail was located near the body and in the home, blood that appeared likely to have resulted from a combination of the victim and the offender."
Smith was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on an open count of murder. He remained at the West Side jail on a no bond hold late Friday.
When police arrived at Vigil's residence May 5, she told officers that Smith had just fled out the back door, according to a separate criminal complaint.
In that case, Smith was charged with misdemeanor domestic violence and battery against a household member.
APD spokesman Rob Gibbs said the decision to charge someone with felony or misdemeanor domestic violence depends on whether the victim was in fear for his or her life, whether a weapon was used, the extent of the victim's injuries and other factors.
And, in misdemeanor cases, APD policy says officers are to issue a criminal summons if a domestic violence suspect isn't taken into custody on the responding officer's shift.
That's what happened in the May incident involving Smith and Vigil: A summons was issued, and a judge issued a warrant for Smith's arrest after he failed to appear in court May 25.
It's unclear whether Smith was on a list of suspects ordered arrested during a warrant roundup this summer.