Police: Woman texts friends about being beaten by boyfriend, dies days later

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A woman who died after she was severely beaten for nearly 12 hours had tried to message friends for help a day earlier, police said.

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Sallyann Ulibarri, 30, was staying at Siegel Suites, a short-term rental hotel, when she sent text messages Saturday night saying she was fearful of her boyfriend Orlando Johnson, the Albuquerque Journal reported.

The hotel's general manager went to her room Sunday to see if Ulibarri had checked out and found her lying across the bed, horribly bruised and struggling to breathe, the Journal reported.

The manager said Johnson, 27, was in the room when she arrived. He then packed a bag and left, KOB reported.

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Police arrived and found blood on the walls and floor, an indentation in the drywall and broken glass, KOB reported.

The manager told investigators that Johnson had been banned from the complex because the couple had several loud fights previously, the Journal reported.

Ulibarri was taken to the hospital Sunday in critical but unstable condition, the Journal reported. She was found to be brain dead and put on life support, KOB reported. She died Wednesday.

Johnson was arrested Monday and charged with aggravated battery. Those charges are expected to be upgraded to murder.

Johnson had been charged twice with aggravated battery causing great bodily harm previously, the Journal reported. A 2009 case was dismissed and he pleaded guilty to another in 2012.

Detectives said Ulibarri texted a friend Saturday night, “I almost died AGAIN.”