A 35-year-old Moreno Valley man died after consuming 33 alcoholic drinks and then being restrained by Royal Caribbean security guards aboard a cruise ship, and now a wrongful death lawsuit filed on behalf of his young son has quietly ended in a settlement. Michael Virgil was pronounced dead at 8:32 p.m. on December 13, 2024, hours after boarding the Navigator of the Seas for a four-day trip from San Pedro to Ensenada.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruled Virgil’s death a homicide, attributing it to the combined effects of mechanical asphyxia from body compression during the restraint, ethanol intoxication, obesity, and cardiomegaly, according to AP News. Court records reviewed by The Press-Enterprise show Virgil had a body mass index of 49.3 and a heart weighing 560 grams — well above the normal male range of 230 to 383 grams. His blood-alcohol content was measured at 0.182 three days after his death.
Virgil boarded the ship with his fiancée, Connie Aguilar, and her family around 11 a.m. on December 13, 2024, per the same Press-Enterprise account. Ship staff directed him to a bar because his cabin was not yet ready, and he purchased the vessel’s alcoholic drink package, which provided unlimited beverages one at a time. TMZ reported that the couple’s seven-year-old autistic son grew restless waiting for the room, prompting Aguilar to leave Virgil at the bar while she checked on their accommodations.
A Disturbance Turns Physical
As intoxication set in, Virgil struggled to find his room and became agitated, according to the Press-Enterprise report. He allegedly made violent threats toward staff and guests, and at one point removed ceiling panels from the ship and brandished them as weapons. Cellphone video captured by another passenger, described by the Los Angeles Times, showed a shirtless Virgil shouting profanities, kicking cabin doors, and chasing a crew member who locked himself in a towel room…