"We have a man gone crazy here on the boat"

A Mexican national was detained without bail Wednesday for alleged murder on the high seas off the coast of Nantucket, and the coastguard broadcast scary audio signals from the suspect's captain's call. boat."

Franklin Freddy Meave Vazquez, 27, entered the yard with handcuffs and skirts with socks. He also had bandages on his arm and forehead.

He did not plead guilty to killing a crew member, identified in court documents as JS, and of having attempted to murder a second mate, Listed HR, during a frantic knife slam and the hammer of the ship Billy Haver Sunday afternoon.

The chaos took place in the water about 55 miles off the coast of Massachusetts.

Vazquez, who lives illegally in the United States and who was released from custody by an immigration judge in April, could be sentenced to death if he is convicted of killing him. JS murder RH

Stylianus Sinnis, the public defender of Vazquez, declined to comment after the hearing.

Also on Wednesday, the US Coast Guard aired Mayday's desperate call, which Billy Haver's captain launched Sunday afternoon after the ambush.

"Can any one hear me?" Asked the captain several times before saying on the radio: "We have a man gone mad here on the boat, dude … L & # 39, one of the crew members went crazy.He started to hit people in the head with a hammer.I have three men injured right now.One, I can not wake him up. I do not know if he's dead or not.

The description of a deranged Vazquez causing havoc on the boat was well away from the barely built suspect who had remained impassive in court Wednesday and was quietly answering with a yes when a magistrate had asked, in English, to go to court. he understood his rights.

US assistant Christine J. Wichers did not detail the allegations but demanded that Vazquez be kept awaiting trial, describing him as a danger to the community and a risk of flight.

Sinnis has agreed that his client be detained pending the hearing of the probable cause, tentatively scheduled for Tuesday next week. A hearing on procedural matters is scheduled for Thursday at 2 pm

Wichers said that Vazquez will eventually be charged with first degree murder, which may result in the death penalty, or second degree murder, which carries a maximum penalty, for the murder of J.S.

A federal affidavit described a series of disturbing attacks aboard the ship. A member of the crew identified as R.H. heard shouts from the bridge and ran around the corner, where he received three blows to the head.

"R. H. fell on the bridge, "said the depot. "He saw that he was covered with blood. He looked up and saw Vazquez with a hammer in one hand and a knife in the other. Vazquez looked at R.H. and said, "Stay right there."

Then the records show that R.H. spotted another crew member, identified as J.S., lying a few feet away with blood coming out of his mouth.

Meanwhile, the eruption of nightmarish violence has continued.

"R. H. have heard other crew members down in the ice hold, "said the affidavit. "A crew member, J.Z., came out of the hold. R.H. saw Vazquez strike J.Z. with a hammer. According to the ship's captain, Vazquez climbed onto the mast while other crew members were trying to capture Vazquez, holding a hammer and a knife. Vazquez then threw the knife on the bridge.

The captain issued a distress call to the coast guard at approximately 1430, the officer said, and the German liner Mein Schiff 6 stopped along the fishing vessel and took JS and RH on board. .

A cruise doctor declared J.S. dead soon after.

"J.S. had a visible wound on his head and stab wounds on his chest, "said the affidavit.

Prior to the weekend, Vazquez had been accused of kidnapping and attempting to strangle his 20-year-old wife in March in Newport News, Virginia.

An incident report in this case indicated that the woman told the police that her husband had tried to strangle her and that the woman's father had already told The Globe that she lost consciousness during the incident.

"After she was released, she tried to call a family member for help, but the suspect. . . took her phone and refused to let her go, "said the report. "The victim started screaming after Mr. Vasquez pushed her several times and only stopped when she agreed to stop shouting."

The woman tried to call 911, according to the report, but Vazquez prevented him. "She was finally able to get in touch with a family member who came to pick her up."

She suffered life-threatening injuries, the police said. Vazquez has been charged with several charges in Virginia, including forcible kidnapping, intimidation or deception, and assaults on a family member, police said.

In a statement released Tuesday, the ICE said the case in Virginia was still pending. The agency also discussed the circumstances surrounding Vazquez's release from custody in April.

ICE's statement indicated that Vazquez "is a Mexican national illegally present in the United States. ICE met [Vazquez] at Norfolk City Prison, Virginia, through his Criminal Alien Program in March 2018 after being arrested by the Newport News Police Department for the alleged assault. "He entered the custody of the ICE after being released from prison."

Despite the objections of the CIE, the agency said: "An immigration judge has [Vazquez] link. ICE had to release him on April 27 after posting a bond. "

ICE added that the Vazquez immigration case "remains pending before an immigration judge. ICE is closely monitoring its file to determine next steps to ensure that it no longer poses a threat to public safety. "

Travis Andersen can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @TAGlobe.