Angel DeJesus was identified as a suspect in the death of his 35-year-old girlfriend, Belkis Lopez. The 44-year-old man is believed to have murdered Lopez in her Bronx apartment. The woman’s 14-year-old daughter found the body early Monday morning.
According to reports, the unidentified teen daughter found her dead mother with a rubber band around her neck inside one of the bedrooms in their apartment on East 158 Street near Melrose Avenue in Melrose. Belkis Lopez was pronounced dead on the scene, though it was unclear if the teen daughter called EMS or if someone else reported the body.
Police eyed Angel DeJesus as a person of interest after the teen daughter said she saw him and her mother together around 1:00 a.m. She claimed her mom was alive at that time. DeJesus, who was allegedly dating the 35-year-old woman, had left before the teen daughter discovered the dead body in the Bronx apartment.
DeJesus has not been taken into custody as of Tuesday afternoon. The NYPD News Twitter account posted a tweet Tuesday morning requesting assistance in locating the boyfriend. The account listed the man as “Wanted for homicide.”
“Have you seen Angel DeJesus?” the tweet read. “On 9/20/21 at approx 8:15 AM, inside of 390 E 158 St in the Bronx, a 35-year-old female was discovered deceased in her apartment with a band around her neck. Any info? DM @NYPDTips or anonymously call them at 800-577-TIPS.”
Underneath the post, NYPD News attached a picture of DeJesus. In the photo, the man was smiling while shirtless. He had a large tattoo on his right forearm and hand. His whereabouts are currently unknown and it’s unclear why he might have killed Belkis Lopez.
So far police have not revealed how long the couple had been dating or how Belkis Lopez was killed. The cause of death has not been confirmed, though police did say a rubber band was found around the woman’s neck. The city’s medical examiner’s office is working to determine the official cause of death.
Reports claimed that two other children, ages 3 and 5, were staying at the apartment when Lopez was discovered. It wasn’t clear if the children belonged to Lopez or if they were DeJesus’ children. It wasn’t immediately clear what would happen to the three children following Lopez’s death.
News 12 reported that police had been called to the Melrose apartment at around 8:15 a.m. for an assault. Authorities suspect that the potential murder was the result of a domestic dispute but did not release any official confirmation.
According to a tweet from NYPD News Monday afternoon, “domestic violence calls are one of the most dangerous and unpredictable jobs an officer can face.” The Safe Horizon website reported that “1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.”
Angel DeJesus had four prior charges. He was charged with forcible touching, failure to register as a sex offender, criminal possession of a controlled substance, and sex abuse of a minor. As of this morning it was unclear whether he received jail time for those four charges.
