Tacoma man pleads not guilty to trying to strangle girlfriend

Francisco Guzman Rodriguez did not want his girlfriend to leave him, Pierce County prosecutors say.

After she threatened to do just that Thursday, Guzman Rodriguez allegedly tried to strangle her while she slept in bed next to her 2-year-old daughter.

The 34-year-old Tacoma man pleaded not guilty to attempted first-degree murder and was ordered jailed in lieu of $150,000 bail.

The victim’s 14-year-old daughter called police to their home in the 3300 block of South Ainsworth Avenue. Officers found the woman crying, unable to speak and with a swollen, dark purple neck, according to charging papers.

She was taken to a hospital for treatment.

The victim said Guzman Rodriguez “held a scarf up in front of her face, looked into her eyes and said, ‘I’m going to kill you,’ ” records state. “She said the defendant wrapped the scarf around her neck, twisting it and starting strangling her.”

Guzman Rodriguez repeatedly told her she needed to die, documents show.

Eventually the victim was able to break free and lock herself in the bathroom until help arrived.

This story was originally published June 8, 2015 at 9:51 AM with the headline "Tacoma man pleads not guilty to trying to strangle girlfriend."