Man sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for beating, fatally strangling his girlfriend in Anaheim – Orange County Register

Aaron Romo, of Anaheim, was convicted of murdering a former romantic partner. (Courtesy Anaheim Police Department)

By PAUL ANDERSON

SANTA ANA — A 37-year-old Anaheim man was sentenced Monday to 30 years to life in prison for beating and fatally strangling his girlfriend following a tumultuous relationship of about a year.

Aaron Romo was convicted May 29 of first-degree murder, as well as counts of domestic violence and false imprisonment. Jurors deliberated for about a day and a half.

Romo was arrested on suspicion of assaulting Mirelle Mateus, 24, of La Palma, on December 5, 2022, before killing her on March 17, 2023.

The couple met in May 2022 through Jerit Wohlford, who had briefly dated Mateus and was a friend of Romo, Senior Assistant Prosecutor Mark Birney said.

Less than a month into their relationship, Mateus moved in with Romo, Birney said.

Romo lived in a “luxury apartment” at 1901 Union St. and the two posted photos of themselves as a couple traveling to Hawaii and other places during their relationship, Birney said.

But on Dec. 5, 2022, Romo allegedly beat Mateus, who was “thrown over a guardrail” from their apartment balcony, Birney said. Romo was accused of domestic violence, and on December 14, 2022, he deliberately cut his arms and was taken to the hospital.

Despite a restraining order, the two remained in contact, but the relationship had its ups and downs. On March 16, 2023, Wohlford convinced Romo to go out on the town to help him get over Mateus, Birney said.

During that outing, Romo got into a dispute with a woman he was chasing at a bar and she slapped him, leading security to eject the group, Birney said.

While outside the establishment, Romo got into a fistfight and was knocked unconscious, suffering two black eyes, according to the prosecutor.

Romo lost his phone, so his friend called an Uber, and when the driver showed up, Romo used the Uber employee's phone to call Mateus repeatedly until she answered and agrees to pick him up, Birney said.

She drove him back to her apartment around 2:15 a.m. and the two got into a violent struggle, Birney said. The victim's mother – worried about not being able to reach her daughter – saw that the victim had Wohlford in his call log, so she called him and he recounted what had happened the night before, a Birney said. The mother went to Romo's apartment and found her daughter's body in Romo's bathtub.

At that time, Romo was in Temecula. He left his apartment around 4:50 a.m. and drove his motorcycle to the home of his other girlfriend, Stephanie Rodriguez, where he confessed to her before cutting his arms again, Birney said.

Romo's lawyer, Ricardo Nicol, argued that voluntary manslaughter “is the best solution” for the crime, not murder.

“Mr. Romo was extremely intoxicated that night,” Nicol said.

The defendant and Wohlford drank two-thirds of a bottle of vodka before going out to party at the bar, Nicol said.

“And he was behaving like a drunk,” Nicol said of his client’s bad behavior in the club. “He got into a stupid fight where he was badly beaten.”

Nicol argued that “being this drunk impairs your ability to carefully weigh and consider the consequences of your actions.”

Nicol also said the defendant suffered a concussion during the bar fight, which further impaired his ability to think about his actions.

“This head trauma alone takes him beyond premeditation and deliberation,” which are necessary elements for a first-degree murder conviction, Nicol argued.

He further argued that this would also eliminate second-degree murder as a possible consequence.

“It’s fair to say that without her head injury, Mirelle would still be alive,” Nicol said.

Birney countered that for a conviction of voluntary manslaughter, the defense would have to show that there was some provocation in the act of killing the victim.

“There is no evidence that Mirelle did anything to provoke him. None. There’s no such thing,” Birney argued.

Birney noted that there was no evidence that Mateus was unfaithful to Romo and, the prosecutor added, “He dates so many women that he doesn't even remember their names.”

According to Birney, evidence was presented during the trial that Romo obtained five restraining orders against five women, including two who claimed he strangled them during violent conflicts.

Birney said the victim was “fighting for her life” as he strangled and beat her, as the prosecutor pleaded to first-degree murder.

Romo's head injury did not stop the defendant from riding his motorcycle 65 miles to his girlfriend's house, Birney said. It also didn't stop him from hiding the victim's phone or avoiding police, Birney said.