Man jailed for strangling partner with towel on cruise ship
A US man has been sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to attempting to strangle a woman he was dating while aboard a Texas-based cruise ship.
Hector Blanco, of Watford City, North Dakota was sentenced yesterday for the 2018 attack aboard Miami-based Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas cruise ship, federal prosecutors said.
The 45-year-old pleaded guilty in January 2020 to an assault charge. The case was investigated by the FBI.
The Justice Department said Blanco put his hand and a bath towel over the victim's mouth, he then twisted a towel around her neck and dragged her across the floor of the cabin.
The woman was able to make a quick exit when Blanco fell.
She ran out of the cabin to report the incident to security personnel aboard the ship.
"No excuse can justify Hector Blanco's violent actions that turned a dream vacation into a dreadful nightmare for his victim," said Special Agent in Charge Perrye K Turner.
Blanco confessed to the crime and upon his release from prison, he will still be under a two year supervision order.