SARASOTA COUNTY, Florida – Florida State Attorney Ed Brodsky announced that Abraham Moises Contreras Perez has been convicted on multiple felony charges following a three-day jury trial in Sarasota County.
A jury found Perez guilty on March 11, 2026, of Domestic Battery by Strangulation, Tampering with a Victim or Witness, Solicitation of a Third Party to Violate Pretrial Release, and nine counts of Violation of Pretrial Release in Case #2024CF005075NC. The trial was held before Judge Thomas Krug.
The charges stem from a May 24, 2024 incident investigated by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. The offenses carry a maximum possible sentence of more than 29 years in prison.
Authorities were first alerted to the situation when a neighbor called 911 after seeing Perez drag the victim, who is his girlfriend and the mother of his child, into their home. Deputies Angelo Akyan and Luke Conklin responded to the residence and entered a bedroom where they found Perez actively strangling the victim. Deputies pulled him off of her, likely preventing her death.
The victim later told investigators that as she was being strangled she could see the ceiling fan slowing down before deputies intervened.
After the incident, the victim initially signed a waiver of prosecution. However, prosecutors launched a new investigation that revealed Perez had repeatedly violated a court-issued no-contact order. Investigators determined he had called the victim more than 78 times and had also asked at least one other person to pressure her into dropping the charges.
Those actions resulted in additional charges of witness tampering and multiple violations of pretrial release.
During the trial, the defense argued the incident was an act of self-defense, pointing to a neighbor’s testimony that the victim struck Perez with an object and evidence showing Perez had fractured orbital bones around his eye. Assistant State Attorney Liana Whipple argued the injuries were from a prior accident and that the victim had been acting in self-defense during the incident.
Assistant State Attorney Nicholas Lata, the lead prosecutor in the case, said the outcome demonstrates the office’s commitment to prosecuting serious domestic violence cases even when victims are reluctant to cooperate.
“This case demonstrates that our office will prosecute serious domestic violence cases with or without a cooperative victim,” Lata said. “Tampering with victims will only ensure more serious felony charges against the defendant. In the end, we were able to persuade the victim to testify in spite of the defendant’s persistent tampering and justice was served.”
Perez now faces a potential sentence of more than 29 years in prison. Sentencing will be determined by the court at a later date.
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