Boyfriend charged in weekend shooting

TAMPA - A 17-year-old was charged in the weekend murder of his girlfriend after an autopsy showed she could not have shot herself, as he told investigators.

Sara Gonzalez, 18, was shot and killed around 11:00 p.m. Friday, January 25 at her home at 5219 Madison Lake Circle near Riverview.

Deputies questioned her live-in boyfriend, Josue Villagomez, 17, who was there when it happened.  He said someone came to the door and shot his girlfriend before running off.

When investigators found a Glock 9mm handgun and a single shell casing under the residence in the crawl space, Villagomez changed his story, saying Gonzalez had grabbed his gun and shot herself in the chest during an argument.

Because it was his gun, he thought he would be blamed, and threw the gun under the house.

An autopsy on Sunday showed the woman was shot in the lower back, and the bullet exited through her chest.  The medical examiner also concluded there was no evidence of a close contact wound.

In addition to the original charges of tampering with evidence and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, Villagomez was charged Wednesday with second-degree murder with a firearm.