GUILTY MN - Amber Lechuga, 22, found dismembered, Springfield, 25 Sept 2014

Miguel Angel Vasquez is accused of murdering Amber Elena Lechuga, 22, of Springfield and dismembering her body before attempting to burn the remains. Lechuga's identity was only recently confirmed with a DNA test conducted by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Vasquez and Lechuga lived together in an apartment at 20 1/2 Central Street in Springfield with their two young children. Police searched the apartment on Sept. 26. The status and location of the children is unknown at this point.

The Brown County Sheriff's Office said the criminal complaint, which will be filed Friday, will show Lechuga was killed in their apartment by a gunshot wound to the head with a small caliber firearm. Her body was found in the front passenger floor of the van without its limbs and her head was found nearby in the Cottonwood River.

Click to expand...

Seidl says the suspect called 911 on Sept. 25 to report an auto accident and assault along Highway 4 south of Sleepy Eye. When police arrived they found the man partially clothed and smelling of gasoline, and the minivan engulfed in flames. The man told police he had been struck in the head and doused with gasoline. He suffered minor burns.

Click to expand...

Miguel Angel Vasquez, 26, of Springfield faces a second-degree murder charge in the death of Amber Lechuga, the mother of his children. His bail was set at $2 million with no conditions or $1 million with conditions. "I'm concerned with the staggering brutality of the crime. I've been doing criminal law for over 17 years. When I read (the complaint,) it took my breath away," said Judge Robert Docherty, who set Vasquez's bail...

Vasquez and Lechuga lived together in an apartment in Springfield with their two young children. Police searched the apartment on Sept. 26 and found evidence indicating Lechuga could have been killed there, according to the complaint.

Prosecutors said during Vasquez's initial court appearance Friday that they were concerned the children could have witnessed the killing. Brown County Attorney Bob Hinnenthal said the children are now staying with their grandparents.

Click to expand...

A grand jury to determine if a 26-year-old Springfield man will be charged with first-degree murder in the Sept. 25, 2014 slaying of a 23-year-old Springfield woman convened Monday in Brown County District Court...

Newly-filed search warrants revealed an electronic online device with recent YouTube video searches involving sharpening a machete and the hardness of a human head, according to court documents. Law enforcement alleged they found blood on knives and a machete recovered from a Springfield apartment shared by Vasquez and Lechuga, according to the complaint.

Click to expand...

A southern Minnesota man accused of killing his girlfriend, dismembering her body and trying to burn her remains has been charged with first-degree murder.

A grand jury indicted 26-year-old Miguel Vasquez, of Springfield. The murder charge carries an automatic life sentence.

Click to expand...

The court-appointed forensic psychiatrist said that despite claims of amnesia from Miguel Vasquez about the events surrounding the death of Amber Lechuga, Vasquez is competent to stand trial on murder charges.

Click to expand...

The trial of Miguel Vasquez is on hold, possibly until January, after a suicide attempt by chewing on his own wrist he self-reported early Monday morning.

"I want to have an examination done on an inpatient basis," Judge Robert Docherty said. "We are looking at two to four weeks before we get that report."

Prosecutor and County Attorney Chuck Hanson said Vasquez reported the attempt to harm himself early Monday morning before the third day of his trial, which began Nov. 2.

Vasquez will be admitted to the Minnesota Security Hospital in St. Peter for up to 60 days. Doctors will do an assessment to determine if he is competent to stand trial and aid in his own defense, Hanson said.

He did not need hospitalization and remained in custody through the start of the week while the judge awaited results of the preliminary look at Vasquez's mental health before calling the Wednesday hearing. Vasquez either would not or could not communicate with his defense, Docherty said Monday morning when he disclosed the suicide attempt.

Click to expand...

The murder trial of Miguel Vasquez remains postponed as the defense and prosecution await reports on Vasquez’s competency.

The trial began in November but was suspended following the defendant’s suicide attempt. On Nov. 7 Vasquez wounded himself by biting into his wrist.

Vasquez was transferred to a facility in St. Peter as an in-patient while the assessment was conducted. On Monday, Dec. 20, Vasquez was transferred back to Brown County jail. Even with Vasquez back in the county, the trial is likely still weeks away from restarting.

Click to expand...

State prosecutors are requesting Brown County Judge Robert Docherty set a date for Miguel Vasquez's murder trial to resume after it was put on hold in November.

Brown County Attorney Charles Hanson said both state examiners and private mental health examiners have found Vasquez competent to stand trial.

Hanson said the trial's new court date will depend on Docherty's schedule. There are several trials scheduled, but it is possible the trial could resume before the end of February.

Click to expand...

The trial of a Springfield man accused in the murder of his ex-girlfriend in 2014 will resume next month. Miguel Angel Vasquez, 28, is set to return to the Brown County Courthouse on February 21 after having been found competent to stand trial. The court has set aside nine days for the proceedings that are being heard by a judge, not a jury.

Click to expand...

The murder trial of Miguel A. Vasquez resumes Tuesday morning at the Brown County Courthouse. Vasquez stands accused of the first-degree murder and dismemberment of his ex-girlfriend, 23-year-old Amber Lechuga, and burning her remains in a vehicle fire 3 miles south of Sleepy Eye on Sept. 25, 2014.

The trial began last November but was suspended following the defendant’s suicide attempt. On Nov. 7 Vasquez wounded himself by biting into his wrist.

Click to expand...

The state prosecutors' witness testimony on Tuesday centered on the events leading up to the moment police picked up Vasquez on the side of the highway outside of Sleepy Eye with the van burning in the woods nearby.

Vasquez initially told authorities he'd been rear-ended while driving and then knocked out. When he came to, the van was on fire, and he had gasoline all over his clothes so he took them off and ran, he told police.

Vasquez's sister Janet and Lechuga's father, Adolfo Lechuga, and Adolfo's fiancee, Sharon Theis, testified.

Click to expand...

This is the first of two parts of the trial, one to decide his guilt and the other whether he was sane at the time of the murder. Vasquez's fate will be decided by Docherty because he waived his right to a jury trial.

Click to expand...

The 90-minute recording was created by special agent Luke Hanegraaf with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) on the early morning of Sept. 26, 2014. Lechuga’s remains were discovered by the BCA during this interview.

In the recording, Hanegraaf interviewed Vasquez after Vasquez was treated for burns at a Hennepin County emergency room. During the recording, Vasquez recounts his version of the events of Sept. 25.

Hanegraaf testified that at the start of the interview, Vasquez was not considered a suspect. The BCA had not confirmed the presence of human remains in the van until after the interview began. After hearing Vasquez’ version of events, Hanegraaf said in the recording he believed Vasquez was leaving out information.

Hanegraaf questioned why Vasquez was unable to see the people who attacked him and why the van rear shows no signs of a collision. Hanegraaf told Vasquez his injuries did not match up with the story either. Vasquez had no wound or swelling to the back of his head that would be consistent with being knocked unconscious. Hanegraaf said it looked like Vasquez only encountered fire from the front and there were not scars on his back.

Partway through the interview Hanegraaf left the room to take a call. He testified at this point he was told of the human remains.

Click to expand...

Lechuga’s sister Alyssa Lechuga testified on her discovery of the suspicious search entries on Vasquez’ tablet. The family found the tablet in Amber and Vasquez apartment a few days after learning of Amber’s death. The tablet was powered down and not used immediately. Alyssa later used the tablet to research if her infant child has a specific illness. She was checking for a video on YouTube and discovered previous searches for “how hard is a human head” and “how to sharpen a machete.”

Alyssa showed the searches to her father, Adolfo Lechuga, and the tablet was given to law enforcement authorities.

Alyssa was asked about the text messages originally believed to be sent by Amber early on Sept. 25. Alyssa said the texts seemed odd right away because Amber texted differently. Alyssa said her sister typed “a while” as a single word and left the ‘g’ off “going” which was not the case with this text.

Click to expand...

Court proceedings Thursday during the ongoing murder trial of Miguel Vasquez centered on a tablet found in Vasquez's apartment with incriminating video searches in the device's web history.

"Did you guys ever get my tablet?" Vasquez was heard asking his sister, Janet Vasquez, in a recorded phone call he made from prison in October 2014, following his arrest. The phone call was played in court. "I was thinking that there was something in there, that I can't have...I wish you guys had that tablet."

Lechuga's sister, Alyssa, testified to finding two prior searches in the history of the YouTube application on the tablet when she went to use it. One asked how hard or thick the human skull is and the other how to sharpen a machete.

Click to expand...

Shawn Hughes, a former digital forensic specialist for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, testified in court Thursday to handling the device as part of the initial investigation to extract its data as evidence. He also found the searches in the YouTube application, but he said it is not possible to know who made the searches or when they were made.

Vasquez's defense attorneys objected to the use of the phone call because much of the call was in Spanish that was not translated for its use in court. They argued the pieces in English that included mention of the tablet were possibly taken out of context, but the objection was overruled by Brown County District Judge Robert Docherty.

The state also called several witnesses from the BCA who worked on the investigation to discuss blood found on a mattress, gun, tote and a t-shirt in Vasquez's apartment and fingerprints found on the gun and knives that were collected. The blood stains matched Lechuga's DNA.

Click to expand...

The mental state of defendant Miguel A. Vasquez was the focus of Monday’s testimony. The prosecution attempted to show Vasquez was aware of his actions and was culpable in the death of Amber Lechuga.

Dr. Katheryn Cranbrook was retained by the prosecution to provide a psychological evaluation of Vasquez. Cranbrook testified that she was reasonably sure Vasquez did not meet the criteria for the mental-illness defense.

Cranbrook said extreme trauma could cause some memory loss, but a total lack of memory is unlikely without mood altering chemicals or a head injury.

Cranbrook acknowledged a person could develop dissociative amnesia from committing a violent act, but Vasquez claims to have no memory of a violent act.

“The question is not about this memory after the event, but whether he knew it was wrong afterward,” Cranbrook said. “At the time I saw him, my impression was he feinted the condition of memory loss to avoid legal consequences.”

Click to expand...

A second psychological review of Vasquez was conducted by forensic psychologist Dr. Robin Ballina. She was retained by the court to determine if Vasquez was competent to stand trial.

Ballina testified that Vasquez showed no sign of mental illness and has provided three versions of the events on Sept. 25.

In all three stories, Lechuga comes home early in the morning and heads to bed. In the first story, Vasquez told police he had no further contact with Lechuga. In a later account he heard two gun shots after she came home, and he saw her with a gun. A third account included hearing shots, but not seeing Lechuga with the gun.

Click to expand...

Burn trauma surgeon Dr. Fredrick Endorf reviewed Vasquez’ injuries and said they were inconsistent with his story. Vasquez claimed to have woken up on fire in a burning van and that he was forced to remove his clothes. Endorf said, based on this story, Vasquez should have sustained third-degree burns. But Vasquez only presented minor first-degree and second-degree burns.

Endorf said the nature of the burns suggests Vasquez was not wearing a shirt at all when exposed to the fire. Vasquez’ back showed no sign of burns, which is unusual if his shirt was on fire. Endorf characterized Vasquez’ injuries as flash burns, which are more consistent with an individual starting a fire.

Click to expand...

Miguel A. Vasquez was found guilty of the first-degree murder of 22 year-old Amber Lechuga.

In addition to first-degree murder, Vasquez was found guilty two counts of second-degree murder and second-degree arson.

News of the verdict brought members of the Lechuga family to tears. Friends and family had attended every court hearing since the start of the trial. Many of them testified.

Vasquez showed no response to the verdict. Neither he nor his parents seemed surprised by the judge’s decision.

The mental illness phase of the case will continue tomorrow. The court first heard testimony on Vasquez’ mental health on Monday. This is expected to conclude Wednesday. Klumpp did not expect a lengthy mental health trial. The court will determine if there were any aggravating factors in the case that could affect sentencing.

Click to expand...

Miguel Vasquez was found guilty on all counts for the September 2014 murder of his ex-girlfriend and will be held legally responsible for his actions, though he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Vasquez, 28, of Springfield, was convicted this week of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and second-degree arson for the killing and dismemberment of Amber Lechuga, 23, on Sept. 25, 2014. His sentencing hearing is set for 9 a.m. Thursday.

Brown County District Judge Robert Docherty ruled Wednesday morning that Vasquez was sane and in his right mind at the time of the crime and, therefore, should be held fully responsible.

Click to expand...

She was outgoing. She loved to sing, dance and laugh. She stayed up late baking sweets and talking with her sisters, and she vowed to always be there for her two sons.

Amber Lechuga was about to turn 23 years old when her life was taken on Sept. 25, 2014.

Her ex-boyfriend and her children's father, Miguel Vasquez, 28, of Springfield, was convicted of first-degree murder for her death and dismemberment Tuesday. He received the mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole and an additional 42 months for arson on Thursday.

“I tried to think of something eloquent to say that would ease the pain of both of the families," said Brown County District Judge Robert Docherty. "But there’s nothing I can do except attempt to apply the law as best as I can."

Click to expand...

Lechuga's father Adolfo Lechuga said, "She liked everything. She loved funnel cake and I don't even make them anymore ever since she got killed because it's just been really hard for me to get through that process."

The family adds after this long process, it was important to give her with a voice.

Adolfo's fiancee Sharon Theis said, "Through these two and a half years, Mike [Miguel] has been able to exercise his rights while we have had to fight for any of Amber's rights after her death."

Vasquez will also pay more than $22,000 in restitution, but it will be left open for ongoing therapy for family members.

He will be sent to St. Cloud to be processed before most likely heading to Oak Park Heights.

Lechuga's family says they want to thank the BCA and prosecuting attorneys for the work that have put into the case.

Click to expand...