ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - A New Mexico man was charged with beating a woman to death with a lead pipe because he did not want to share his Budweiser beer with her, according to court documents.
Charles Lee Vennevy, 26, was charged with killing 41-year-old Yvonne Garcia and beating her male companion last Monday night before leaving them for dead in downtown Albuquerque. Vennevy is in custody and bail was set on Wednesday at $1 million cash, according to a criminal complaint obtained on Thursday.
According to the complaint filed, Vennevy was drinking beer with friends. Garcia approached the group wanting to drink with them, and was turned away. She returned later with a friend, and a fight ensued over the beer.
While Garcia "was on all fours looking at the ground," Vennevy is suspected of kicking her in the face with his steel-toed work boots, then hitting her over the head with a lead pipe. He is also suspected of attacking her companion, the complaint said.
Garcia was found by a security guard and later pronounced dead at the scene. Her male companion was treated and released from a nearby hospital, having lost his left eye after being struck with the pipe.
Vennevy was charged with murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, and tampering with evidence.
