A man accused in the fatal shooting of his girlfriend in North Little Rock during the weekend pleaded innocent to a charge of first-degree murder Tuesday.
District Judge Jim Hamilton ordered Rafael Gonzalez, 20, to be held at the Pulaski County jail with bail set at $1 million in the death of Stephanie Amaris Hernandez.
Police responded about 7:35 p.m. Sunday to 1611½ W. Long 17th St. and found Hernandez, 21, suffering from a single gunshot wound in the side of the head, according to a court affidavit. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators reported speaking to Gonzalez's brother, Adam, at the residence. He told investigators he'd returned home from work as his brother was leaving. Police said the brothers lived at the house with their girlfriends.
"Adam Gonzalez stated Rafael Gonzalez was crying and told him he had accidentally shot Hernandez in the head," detective Michael Gibbons wrote in the affidavit. "Rafael Gonzalez then fled the scene. After locating the dead body, Adam Gonzalez eventually called 911."
North Little Rock police, along with Little Rock police and the U.S. Marshals Service, found and arrested Rafael Gonzalez at 5:40 p.m. Monday in Little Rock. He was apprehended at the Sunburst Village Mobile Home Park at 5511 Baseline Road.
Police reported finding a green .45-caliber handgun and a box of ammunition at the scene of the killing.
A photo Rafael Gonzalez posted on his Facebook page hours before the slaying appears to show the same gun, police said.
His brother's girlfriend, Linnajha Ward, told police she'd seen Rafael Gonzalez with a gun at the house on numerous occasions, and that he "routinely plays around with the pistol and would stick it to the front of Stephanie's head and her temple," the affidavit states.
Rafael Gonzalez was additionally charged with possession of a firearm by certain persons.
Court records show he negotiated guilty pleas to felony theft charges in two cases in December. He also was convicted of felony possession of a controlled substance and five misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a minor.
Gonzalez was sentenced to probation in the cases, details of which weren't immediately available.
In February, he was charged with 12 counts of felony breaking or entering. In May, he was charged with possession of a firearm by certain persons.
Court records show his bond was revoked in those cases Tuesday.
Police said Gonzalez is a construction worker and painter who lived with his father in Sherwood before he moved to his brother's house several weeks ago.
Hernandez, according to her Facebook page, was the mother of two children. Her death is the 13th homicide of the year in North Little Rock.
Metro on 09/30/2015