Man charged in connection with bar fight death | News

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC (WTOC)- Gerardo Hernandez-Maranon, 22, of Bluffton, has been arrested in connection with a bar fight that left Mario Hernandez, 26, of Hilton Head Island, dead.

Maranon has been charged with one count of Involuntary Manslaughter.

Sheriff's Office investigators received information from an anonymous source that a man involved in an altercation at Cabritos had died as a result of the injuries he sustained. Investigators learned that Hernandez had died on March 29 at St. Joseph's Candler in Savannah from severe head trauma.

Hernandez was initially transported to Hilton Head Medical Center on March 25 after concerned roommates called EMS personnel. The roommates said that Hernandez had been dropped off at home just after 3 a.m. March 25. They said that they had helped him to bed, believing that he was simply intoxicated.

Hernandez's head injuries were discovered upon medical evaluation but no information was available at the time regarding the cause of his injuries. Information regarding his involvement in the fight at Cabritos was not received until after his death.

Investigators made contact with several witness who were at the bar during the fight. They said that Hernandez was involved in a brief altercation with a suspect, later identified as Gerardo Hernandez-Maranon, over comments made by Hernandez to Maranon's girlfriend. Maranon reportedly punched Hernandez, which caused him to fall over and hit his head on the pavement. Maranon reportedly left the bar after the fight, and Hernandez was taken home by an acquaintance.

Investigators located Maranon at his home in Westbury Park on April 13. Maranon was arrested without incident on unrelated bench warrants. He was transported to the Beaufort County Detention Center and was subsequently charged with Involuntary Manslaughter.

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