El Paso County Sheriff’s Office has released an image of Jorge Meza-Alarcon Jr. as part of an appeal for information regarding a hit-and-run incident that occurred on 28 December 2020. The victim, 36-year-old Erika Gonzalez, was struck while crossing the street in El Paso, Texas, and subsequently died from her injuries. Meza-Alarcon is wanted on suspicion of accident involving death, and the Sheriff’s Office has urged anyone with information on his whereabouts to come forward.
Around 2:30 a.m. on August 1, a man called 911 to request a welfare check on an unresponsive woman at a residence located in the 13000 block of Halleluiah Trail. The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office responded to the call, and upon arrival, medical personnel declared the woman deceased. Following further interviews, authorities arrested 26-year-old Jorge Meza-Alarcon Jr. on charges of first-degree murder.
According to a recent report by the Colorado Springs Gazette and local CBS affiliate KKTV, an arrest affidavit revealed that 18-year-old Annabelle Floren-Wyant was found inside a home with blood near her ear and her pants and underwear at her ankles. One of her friends informed the authorities that he had dropped her off at the residence around 1 a.m. to “collect money” from Meza-Alarcon. The affidavit reportedly stated that Floren-Wyant had expressed discomfort around Meza-Alarcon and requested her friend to stay in touch via text. However, after about 90 minutes, her friend stopped receiving any messages, prompting him to call the police.
When the police found Meza-Alarcon, he had visible injuries on his face and was about three miles away from the house. According to the detectives, during the interview, he revealed that he had met Floren-Wyant over Snapchat and had intended to pay her for sex. Meza-Alarcon initially stated that he was going to get the money to pay her, but then Floren-Wyant allegedly hit him with something, possibly a phone that caused him to lose consciousness, as per the affidavit. Later, he woke up three miles away and immediately called 911 to report the incident as an assault.
According to reports, the suspect’s initial statement regarding the incident was contradicted later during the interview. He claimed that the victim had previously threatened him, and her constant texting and the presence of an idling car outside the house made him feel scared and potentially in danger of an attack. As a result, he stated that he quickly shifted from a leglock to a ‘D’arce’ chokehold, which he even demonstrated on the floor of the interview room. After releasing her, the suspect left the room and went outside.
According to the arrest affidavit, Jorge was questioned about his knowledge of Annabelle’s death when he left the room. He responded by saying that he did not check her pulse and mentioned that he is skilled in locks and enjoys training. He also stated that when a chokehold is applied, one can only withstand 2-3 taps.
Meza-Alarcon was apprehended by deputies and is currently being held at the El Paso County Jail on a bond of $1 million. A court hearing has been scheduled for Thursday. According to local NBC affiliate KOAA, he was previously arrested in February for strangling a dog and disposing of its remains in a dumpster.
