Authorities in Boca Raton say what started as a day drinking beer with friends ended with one man dying from a severe beating and another charged with manslaughter.
Police say on October 14 they were called to investigate an unconscious man at the Boca Raton Municipal Cemetery. They say he appeared to be the victim of an assault and was hospitalized with a severe brain bleed. He was placed on life support and died a day later, police say.
Investigators said they later determined the man had been drinking beer with a friend and some others in a parking lot along the 200 block of SW 7th Street. There was an altercation and police said witnesses told them a man identified as Santiago Jaime-Velasquez punched the victim in the face while another claimed Jaime-Velasquez kicked the man in the head while he was unconscious on the ground.
The victim came to and walked away but blacked out again while walking through the cemetery, according to police.
Detectives said they questioned Jaime-Velasquez who denied hitting the man or knowing how he was injured. But they said he changed his story several times.
Police initially charged Jaime-Velasquez with aggravated battery but upgraded the charge to negligent manslaughter after the victim died.