Moment ‘controlling’ murderer blames ‘brain fog’ & almost falls asleep in front of cops after strangling girlfriend
THIS is the chilling moment a “controlling” murderer claimed he had “brain fog” and couldn’t remember attacking his girlfriend.
Jorge Blanco was jailed for 20 years after strangling a woman in a Luton flat until she turned “blue”. She died in hospital five days later.
The murderer tried to blame the attack on his sugar levels, which cops later blasted as a “manipulation” tactic.
When Blanco later asked cops why he was at the station, footage showed him clutching his head and appearing bewildered.
He told a Bedfordshire Police officer: “I have really bad brain fog. My diabetes, my sugar jumps. I’m just completely lost.”
Channel 4’s 24 Hours in Police Custody also showed Blanco limping through the station claiming he had pain in his kidneys.
Blanco, originally from Mexico and living in Nevada, US, was found on top of his victim after cops received two 999 calls.
The first was a call from the victim, in which the line goes blank, and the other is Blanco explaining there had been an argument between him and his girlfriend.
After cops asked if he was safe, Blanco replied: “I’m safe, she’s not. She’s blue in the face.”
Cops then made the heart-wrenching discovery that she had attempted to contact them by hitting the SOS button on her mobile five times at 4am.
When the police were able to finally pinpoint where the signal was coming from, they burst into the flat – but it was too late.
Blanco was found lying over the woman’s lifeless boy, sprawled across the floor with a knife resting on the table.
Cops said it looked like he was giving her CPR but he turned round and said to police: “I need my medication. I’m a diabetic.”
How you can get help
Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
As paramedics tried to revive his girlfriend, Blanco was pulled away into a police van.
Neither the killer or the victim were from the UK and it was unclear why either party was in the flat – the woman hadn’t been seen leaving the apartment since the day before.
Once taken into custody, Blanco appeared to be “dizzy” and even told the officer he didn’t know why he was there.
He pulled a confused face as the officer revealed he was there for attempted murder, adding: “I don’t know anything more about it than that, other than she’s still alive but it’s quite serious.”
He continued to show signs of “brain fog” throughout his time in custody, putting on a sleepy appearance in police interviews, and asking to see the nurse due to dizziness.
As he was being questioned his eye were fluttering and he began to shiver.
The officer read out Blanco’s chilling confession which was caught on a body camera.
In the back of a police vehicle he was recorded claiming: “I did it, I did it. I was laying on her, I didn’t know I was that tight on her.”
Blanco did have multiple scratches across his face and body, but cops concluded these were marks of self defence.
Unfortunately the woman suffered from a large bleed on her brain after she was suffocated by Blanco.
It was revealed the pair had a previous relationship in which he was “a controlling, manipulative, jealous man with narcissistic characteristics” the judge described.
Bedfordshire police major crime units’ DC Suzanne Seagrove said: “She was a bright woman with a bright future in front of her.
“And she nearly got away.”