NJ man took Snapchat of dying victim he choked during sex, cops say

HACKENSACK — A judge said that Michael Gaffney's unusual reaction to a woman who passed out and died during rough sex will keep him behind bars until his trial.

Gaffney told police that he chatted with Francis Victoria Garcia on social media in the week leading up to a group "hang-out" that ended with the 19-year-old female's death on Nov. 2 — which happened after he choked her during sex, authorities allege.

Garcia was pronounced dead just before 3 a.m. at a local hospital. She had a blood-alcohol level of .256 at the time of her death, as confirmed by the medical examiner.

During Gaffney's first appearance on Wednesday in Superior Court, Judge Margaret Foti cited evidence provided by prosecutors who said that he took a picture of Francis' naked body lying on the back seat and posted it to Snapchat, according to a NorthJersey.com report.

Because of his reaction to Francis' condition and his history of drug and alcohol use, Foti ordered that he be held.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by police, Gaffney said Garcia already had two mutual friends in her car when she picked him up at his home Friday, Nov. 1, around 5 p.m.

Gaffney told police that the group drove to another friend's residence at the Prospect Avenue complex and they all went inside. The affidavit says Gaffney told officers that he and Garcia went back to her car, where they had sex for about 20 minutes, during which he put his hands around her neck.

Garcia then lost consciousness, at which point Gaffney contacted the friends who had stayed inside the apartment, telling them that Garcia was not breathing, the affidavit says he told police.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ