A McKenzie County man accused in the shooting death of a woman about a year ago is back in North Dakota after being arrested in Gillette, Wyoming.
Hugo Hernandez Jr., of Watford City, is charged with negligent homicide and unlawful discharge of a firearm within city limits following an incident at an apartment in Watford City shortly before midnight on March 22, 2023, according to an affidavit.
Hernandez was taken into custody last week in Gillette at a motel where he surrendered without incident, according to police in that city. He was then extradited back to North Dakota. A judge on Wednesday set his bond at $10,000 cash or surety.Â
If convicted of the most serious charge -- negligent homicide -- Hernandez faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The defense attorney indicated in court records did not immediately respond to a Tribune request for comment.
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McKenzie County authorities have accused Hernandez of shooting an unidentified woman inside the apartment with a handgun then attempting to conceal his actions by deleting surveillance video and trying to hide the gun from investigators, the affidavit states.
The document reports a third person was inside the residence and that person, identified as Zachary King, told authorities he, Hernandez and the woman were inside the apartment where Hernandez was cleaning a disassembled .40-caliber pistol. Hernandez reassembled the gun, loaded and cocked it, pointed it at the woman and pulled the trigger, striking her in the abdomen, the affidavit alleges. She later died at a Watford City hospital.
King reportedly told police he was instructed to go outside the apartment and wait for an ambulance, leaving Hernandez and the woman alone inside, where Hernandez allegedly stopped providing any medical aid and instead took steps to delete surveillance video and hide the weapon, which authorities later found. Authorities also recovered a .40-caliber shell casing, according to the affidavit. The casing, the recovered gun and a bullet retrieved from the woman's body have all been sent to an FBI lab for analysis.
Hernandez's next court appearance is a preliminary hearing scheduled for June 20. He is in custody at the McKenzie County Correctional Facility in Watford City.