Woman fatally beaten at motel murder charge follows hospital drop-off
Toms River, NJ – A woman found unconscious with severe head trauma at a local hospital on Sunday has died, and the man who allegedly left her there is now charged with murder, officials confirmed Thursday.
Mary O’Connor, 32, was rushed to Community Medical Center on Sunday by two men who quickly fled the scene. She was unresponsive with a brain bleed and injuries consistent with strangulation. Investigators later identified one of those men as Emiliano Davila, 41, who was in a dating relationship with O’Connor and allegedly assaulted her the night before at a Seaside Heights motel.
According to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, the investigation revealed that the violent encounter occurred on Saturday night at the motel where O’Connor had been staying. By Sunday, Davila was taken into custody on charges of domestic violence aggravated assault by strangulation and held at the Ocean County Jail.
O’Connor died from her injuries on Wednesday. The following day, the Ocean County Medical Examiner determined the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head leading to a subdural hematoma, ruling it a homicide.
Prosecutors then upgraded the charges against Davila to murder. The new charge was served to him at the Ocean County Jail, where he remains in custody pending a detention hearing.
Investigators credited a coordinated effort between multiple law enforcement agencies, including units from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Seaside Heights Police, Toms River Police, Brick Township Police, and the Medical Examiner’s Office.
Officials emphasized that all charges are accusations, and Davila is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――
Key Points
- Mary O’Connor was dropped off at a Toms River hospital with severe head injuries and died three days later
- Emiliano Davila, her boyfriend, was initially arrested for assault and is now charged with murder
- The incident occurred at a Seaside Heights motel where O’Connor had been staying