ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – An Otero County man pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of domestic assault. Lance Cojo, 36, admitted to one count of assault resulting in substantial bodily injury and one count of assault by strangling.
According to the plea agreement, Cojo admitted that on December 31, 2021, he assaulted a woman by stomping on her foot, hitting her in the head multiple times, biting her cheek, and burning her on her right shoulder with a drug-smoking pipe. Cujo also grabbed the woman by the throat to strangle her.
Court documents say Cojo continued to attack the woman the next day by hitting her in the head, kicking her in the back, and strangling her.
The woman, referred to in court documents as Jane Doe, suffered serious injuries due to these attacks. She was treated at a medical center for a collapsed lung, fractured ribs, and bruising to both eyes, face, neck, and ribs.
The terms of the plea agreement state Cojo will face two years in prison followed by three years of supervised release.