A man carrying flowers and a handgun walked into a Queens pharmacy and fatally shot his estranged girlfriend, days before Valentine's Day, authorities said.
The gunman was found dead in his apartment on Thursday of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. The shooting came just weeks after an order of protection and pending criminal charges expired against him.
Guimmia Villia, 33, had obtained at least two orders of protection against Alex Figueroa, 38, following their breakup about two years ago, authorities and relatives said.
The first order was issued for two years in Nassau County in April 2009; details of that case were not immediately available because state courts were closed Friday for a holiday.
Figueroa was arrested in Queens in December 2009 on harassment, petit larceny and contempt charges after allegedly confronting Villia and stealing her wallet and cell phone, said Kevin Ryan, a spokesman for Queens District Attorney Richard Brown. The contempt charge was for violating the Nassau order of protection, Ryan said.
Figueroa was then issued a second order of protection, for one year, in Queens as a result of the December 2009 charges. The criminal case against him was adjourned in contemplation of dismissal for one year, meaning if he stayed out of trouble the case would be dropped, authorities said. The Queens charges and order of protection both expired Jan. 25.
Relatives said the pair had two sons together and split about two years ago.
The victim's sister said Villia had repeatedly been threatened by Figueroa. "He said he was going to kill her if he didn't get with her," Yajaira Villia told the Daily News.
A friend of Villia told the News that Figueroa did not respect the court orders. "He was threatening her over the phone," Maria Dinorah Reinoso said. "He wanted to kill her."
A police spokeswoman could not immediately confirm reports that Figueroa had harassed Villia at the pharmacy last week. Calls to the pharmacy went unanswered Friday.
The woman's uncle told the New York Post that Villia had emigrated from the Dominican Republic when she was 6. Louis Villia said she had undergone two kidney transplants in the last 10 years. "She survived twice, and look at now. She died stupidly. No reason for it," he said.
