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.
Royal Caribbean security guards restrained Virgil at about 6:10 p.m., using zip ties on his feet and handcuffs on his wrists, and deploying pepper spray against him, the Press-Enterprise reported. A ship doctor then injected him with a sedative, identified by CBS News as Haloperidol, at the request of the ship's staff captain.
Guards held Virgil down in a prone position for three minutes, and he stopped moving about two minutes into the restraint, according to the Press-Enterprise account. Physical compression impaired his breathing, contributing to the fatal outcome the medical examiner later classified as homicide.
Family Says Ship Refused to Turn Back
After Virgil's death, his family asked that the vessel turn around and return to port, but Royal Caribbean refused, instead storing his body in shipboard refrigeration until the ship docked back in Los Angeles on December 16, 2024, according to The Daily Beast. The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control said the state does not regulate liquor sales on cruise ships once they sail from port, leaving alcohol management to the cruise line's own internal policies.
Aguilar, identified in court filings as Virgil's fiancée and the mother of his son, filed the wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of Michael Virgil Jr. Attorney Kevin Haynes filed the case, which was lodged December 5, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami, where Royal Caribbean Group is headquartered, according to Legal Newsline. Texas firm Kherker Garcia and Florida-based The Russo Firm also worked on the filing. The suit sought $75,000 and was brought under the federal Death on the High Seas Act, a maritime statute covering fatal incidents in international waters more than three nautical miles from U.S. shores, which limits recovery largely to economic losses for surviving relatives rather than pain and suffering, per the Jonathan Turley blog.
Beverage Packages Draw Scrutiny
Royal Caribbean promotes its unlimited drink packages, which have drawn criticism over the company's marketing, according to Cruise Law News.
Settlement Filed Under Seal
The lawsuit was resolved with an undisclosed settlement to be paid to Michael Virgil Jr., with settlement details filed under seal on September 1, 2026, according to the Press-Enterprise. The confidential resolution closes the financial claims tied to Virgil's death but leaves unresolved broader questions about drink package limits, onboard medical administration of sedatives, and security restraint standards across the cruise industry.
