Man sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping and beating ex-girlfriend

A man was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison for charges of Battery, Kidnapping, Robbery, and Theft of a Motor Vehicle, according to the State Attorney’s Office.

A press release confirmed, Maurice Tyqwan Herrera, 32, was found guilty for the crimes he committed on Feb. 14, when he asked his former girlfriend to meet him to return some items that belonged to Herrera.

She agreed to meet him later that night and just after 11 p.m. the victim drove her car to a meet-up location with Herrera in Lehigh Acres. Shortly after Herrera got into her car, he began an argument with the woman.

He wanted her to pull over and let him out. She stopped the car and he began punching her. She opened the driver’s door and he lunged across the seat, continuing to punch her until she fell out onto the ground.

Herrera crawled over the driver’s seat of the car and dragged the woman out of the car to the passenger side and continued to beat the woman before he got into the driver’s seat and took off in her car.

He drove 45 minutes into Collier County with her pleading with him before she eventually attempted to jump out the car. The first time Herrera was able to pull her back in but she was eventually able to open the door and successfully jump out, where a woman spotted her and contacted the police.

Herrera drove away and was not caught until police got a call the next day saying he had been dropped off at the hospital suffering from an overdose on drugs and was in a coma.

He remained in the hospital for about a month but recovered and was taken
into custody after he was released.