St. Paul Bouncer Charged with Manslaughter After He Fatally Punches Man on First Date with Woman

A bouncer at a bar in St. Paul is accused of punching a man who later died of his injuries.

Jose Eucario Conejo Marquez, 28, faces one count of first-degree manslaughter. He had been charged with assault before the man succumbed to his injuries, as reported by KSTP.

Victim Died of ‘Devastating Brain Bleed’

According to the criminal complaint, a woman flagged down St. Paul police near Blues Saloon around 2:20 a.m. on Sunday. They found a 33-year-old man slumped over inside a truck.

The woman said he had been unconscious for about 10 minutes after being punched by a security guard. Court documents state that the man had blood coming from both nostrils and didn’t appear to be breathing.

He was brought to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a “devastating brain bleed,” and died of his injuries on Monday evening. St. Paul police identified him Tuesday as Melvin A. Martinez Altamirano.

Altamirano was on His First Date with the Woman, Was Upset Over Other Men Hitting on Her

The woman told police that she and Altamirano had been on their first date and that he had gotten upset that men were hitting on her. They were kicked out of the bar. While they were leaving, the woman said a security guard told them to hurry up and hit Altamirano. He fell and hit his head on the ground, losing consciousness.

A staff member of the bar identified the security guard who punched Altamirano as Marquez. Surveillance video showed Marquez stepping in between the woman and Altamirano and punching Altamirano’s head, according to court documents. He was then seen shoving Altamirano, and then later punching him again, causing him to fall to the ground, according to court documents.

Bar Staff Claims the Couple was Drunk, Altamirano was Being Aggressive Towards Security

Another security guard told police that Altamirano and woman were both drunk and fighting. When asked to leave, Altamirano was aggressive toward security. They were able to get him outside, but the guard said Altamirano tried to push his way back in. Security tried to pepper-spray him, but it was ineffective. The guard said Marquez followed Altamirano and punched him in the head as he was arguing with the woman.

In an interview with police, Marquez said bar customers alerted him that Altamirano needed to be kicked out because he was fighting with the woman. He added that another security guard had tried to pepper-spray Altamirano.

He added that Altamirano told the woman that it was her fault they got kicked out and was verbally aggressive toward her, court documents state. Marquez said he then swung three punches at Altamirano, only two of which connected.

Marquez, of North St. Paul, was arrested soon afterward and remains jailed in lieu of $100,000 bail ahead of a court appearance Wednesday.