Parksley man could face 25 years for B&E and strangulation

By Linda Cicoira

A Parksley resident could face 25 years in prison, $100,000 in fines, and possible deportation for breaking into his neighbor’s home on Cardinal Acres Drive last year and strangling her.

Thirty-one-year-old Eduar Andres Gutierrez-Morales, also known as Edwards Gonzales, pleaded guilty Thursday in Accomack Circuit Court to the charges through a Spanish interpreter. Judge Lynwood W. Lewis Jr. told the defendant the crimes “may have federal immigration consequences for you.”

Commonwealth’s Attorney Spencer Morgan said the victim told authorities that at about 6 a.m. on Aug. 4, 2025, she heard knocking on her bedroom door, inside her residence. Her husband and another occupant of the house had already left for work. The woman opened the door slightly and saw Gutierrez-Morales standing before her. She thought he might be looking for her husband, so she told the defendant that he wasn’t home. The woman then attempted to close the door

Gutierrez-Morales pushed his way into the bedroom, pushed her onto the bed, and began fighting her, saying that he was going to kill her, said Morgan. He grabbed a nearby electric hair clipper and wrapped the cord around her neck in an attempt to choke her. She grabbed his genital area to get him to stop. He then took a pillow and attempted to suffocate her. She said he also pulled out chunks of her hair. The victim said she could smell a strong odor of alcohol and marijuana. The defendant finally stopped fighting her and told her to leave and not come back.

The prosecutor reported that there were marks around the victim’s neck and that she had a busted lip and bruises on her arms.

A presentence report was ordered. Sentencing was set for May 28.