By Seth Boyes,
A Decorah man has pleaded not guilty to willful injury after allegedly stabbing another man earlier this month — the victim has since been charged with possessing a depiction of a minor in a sex act as part of a separate case.
The Decorah Police Department was dispatched at 7:26 p.m. Wednesday, July 31 to a home in the 600 block of South Mill Street, following a report of a man who had been stabbed. Police charged 37-year-old Alfredo Morales Hernandez with willful injury causing serious injury, a class C felony to which he pleaded not guilty in an Aug. 20 court filing.
The victim, whom prosecutors confirmed to be 56-year-old Jose Maria Cortez Vertiz of Decorah, sustained broken ribs and a lacerated liver, according to court documents, and he was taken to WinnMed by ambulance.
Cortez Vertiz’s phone was placed in police custody the night of the stabbing, according to court records. Investigators executed a search warrant for the device, and police found an explicit video involving what was described as a prepubescent girl in a sex act, which had been saved on the 56-year-old’s phone. Court documents said the video had been received through a messenger app and was dated June 9. A criminal complaint filed against Cortez Vertiz said he admitted to receiving multiple videos of minors involved in sexual acts.
He was booked into the Winneshiek County Jail at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 21. Court documents said Cortez Vertiz is also known by several pseudonyms, such as Jose Beltriz, and the criminal complaint said the 56-year-old was in the process of making arrangements to return to Chicago with plans to leave by Saturday, Aug. 24. Court documents showed Cortez Vertiz on a $5,000 appearance bond — other records indicated the 56-year-old was to be supervised by pretrial services if bond was posted.
Both Morales Hernandez and Cortez Vertiz were listed as residing at the same Mill Street address at the time of last month’s stabbing. The initial criminal complaint filed against Morales Hernandez said he told law enforcement Cortez Vertiz was holding a knife and threatened to kill him that day. The complaint went on to say a witness reported the two “talked poorly to each other on multiple occasions” and “would threaten to kill one another on multiple occasions, but it was always in a joking manner.” The two were not near one another prior to that night’s stabbing, according to the complaint, and Cortez Vertiz did not approach Morales Hernandez, but the 37-year-old “went after Vertiz, grabbed the knife and stabbed Vertiz three to four times.”
“After stabbing Vertiz, the defendant left the room and went to his bedroom,” the complaint said.
Morales Hernandez remains in custody at the Winneshiek County Jail, where he has been since Thursday, Aug. 1. He is currently scheduled to go to trial in mid-December. Cortez Vertiz is currently scheduled for a preliminary court appearance on Monday, Sept. 16. Court documents said, if Cortez Vertiz violates the conditions of his release, a warrant will be issued for his arrest, and he could face a fine of up to $5,000 and a prison term of up to five years.
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