Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Brevard, FL: Man charged in girlfriend's death

BY ANDREW KNAPP • FLORIDA TODAY • NOVEMBER 30, 2010

A 31-year-old Melbourne man was arrested Monday and charged with beating his girlfriend to death over the holiday weekend.

Angel William Giles faces a count of second-degree murder and was held Monday night without bond at the Brevard County Detention Center.

Detectives said his live-in girlfriend was beaten "to the point of unconsciousness" around 11:30 p.m. Saturday at Giles' home at 2065 Stewart Ave.

Cmdr. Ron Bell of the Melbourne Police Department would not go into specifics about the nature of the woman's death, just that she was struck "many times" at the height of an argument.

The 29-year-old victim's name was not released because police officers were having difficulty contacting family members, Bell said.

"Giles may have gotten other people to come over to the house," Bell said. "He had reported that there was something wrong with her. They may have started CPR before officers arrived."

Bell said Giles called 9-1-1 only after the other people -- whose relationships to the suspect and the victim were not known -- arrived at the home and noticed that the woman wasn't conscious. Giles told patrol officers that "she's not breathing," according to Bell.

Officers and paramedics attempted to revive the 29-year-old.

"Giles may have told the others about what happened," Bell said. "Other than that, he was just saying there was something wrong with his live-in girlfriend."

Giles was arrested around 4:30 p.m. Monday when he reported to the police department for questioning.

In Brevard County, Giles has an arrest record on only one charge: domestic violence. He was charged with that misdemeanor on Sept. 18. Bell did not know whether that case included the victim in Saturday night's slaying.

The fatal beating was the first of two homicides in a two-hour span over the weekend in Melbourne.

In the second, a 17-year-old Melbourne High basketball player, Shaquille Farrie, was fatally shot along Randolph Street in the southern part of the city around 1:30 a.m. Sunday. Detectives still are trying to ascertain the motive in that shooting, which also wounded a 16-year-old girl.

Contact Knapp at 321-242-3669 or aknapp@floridatoday.com.

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