A pregnant 27-year-old Jacksonville woman stole her fiancé's car and guns and drove to New Jersey, where she shot and killed her younger sister, according to New Jersey authorities.
Now, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has launched an internal investigation after her fiancé told News4JAX he sounded the alarm that she had taken his car and guns and was heading north.
Angielly Dominguez was pulled over by state troopers on the New Jersey Turnpike a few hours after the deadly shooting, according to an arrest affidavit. Troopers found five guns in the trunk of the white Mustang, which her fiancé reported stolen on Monday, investigators wrote.
Tony Miranda, Dominguez’s fiancé who lived with her in Jacksonville, told the I-TEAM that he alerted police in Jacksonville and Bayonne, New Jersey, that she took his vehicle and 5 guns. He told them he was tracking her through her phone’s GPS.
“[Officers] told me because she’s my girlfriend and because you guys have been together for three years roughly and she’s pregnant with your child but it’s not necessarily stealing the items,” Miranda said. “Because she could come back. And I’m like she’s in South Carolina.”
Despite Miranda insisting she stole his car and firearms, the I-TEAM found records showing the officer in Jacksonville wrote that the case was civil and not criminal.
Miranda tracked her to the suburbs of Newark, New Jersey, where her family is. However, he said officers there didn’t take it seriously either until 7 hours later when prosecutors said Dominguez shot and killed her younger sister.
According to the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, Little Ferry police were called to a home about 4 p.m. Tuesday because of reports of a stabbing, but they found 21-year-old Omelly Dominguez dead from a gunshot wound to the head.
A Little Ferry arrest warrant said the younger brother of Angielly and Omelly, who lives with Omelly, came home from school and found his sisters talking in the home. He said they soon began arguing over money, and then he heard a gunshot. When he went into the living room, Angielly stood there, staring at him, then walked out of the house, according to the report.
Police said home surveillance cameras support the brother’s account.
“It’s devastating that she took her sister’s life with something that I feel could’ve really been prevented had they stopped her when I called to report all that this was stolen,” an emotional Miranda said. “And they see that she’s mentally unstable.”
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office records show that Dominguez was Baker Acted last Friday but was cleared by a doctor and released the next day on Saturday.
Miranda, her fiancé, reported that she took off in his car on Monday. The homicide happened on Tuesday. Hours later, state police arrested her on the turnpike on her way back to Florida. Troopers used Miranda’s GPS to locate her.
“I tried to get it stopped,” he said.
The I-TEAM brought his complaints to JSO. Public Information Officer Christian Hancock said as a result of this, the sheriff’s administration has launched an internal investigation into what happened and how the case was handled. Hancock said administrators are pulling the body worn camera from the calls and reviewing how officers handled the situation.
He pointed out that under Florida law, a spouse can legally take a vehicle and belongings. He also noted that this was not the first domestic dispute between the couple and officers were aware of relationship issues.
News4JAX learned Thursday afternoon that the Bayonne Police Department had also launched an internal investigation into how they handled the initial call.
Miranda said he and Dominguez are expecting a baby girl in July. He said it would be their first born after she had a miscarriage. He plans to raise the baby as her mother will likely be behind bars. He said Dominguez had been dealing with mental health issues but never mentioned she had any intention to hurt or kill anyone. He commented that he is fully cooperating with the investigation.
“She is scared of spiders,” Miranda said, noting he never believed she’d be accused of murder. “She sees a roach on the floor and she is terrified. I can’t believe she could do that.”
He thinks if she had gotten mental health treatment and if police had taken him seriously, Omelly Dominguez would be alive today.
“This law out here needs to change,” he commented. “If something is reported stolen, whether it be family or friend, even if they have access to said items, somebody is reporting something stolen, don’t take it lightly. Who knows what could be done. Who knows what can happen.”
Dominguez remains in jail in New Jersey. Her next court date is a detention hearing on March 28.