Guam - A career criminal is being held behind bars on a half-million dollars cash bail accused of shooting a woman over the weekend during an argument. The defendant is no stranger to the court system and has had many run-ins with law enforcement.

An argument over burnt rice apparently led a Dededo man who is currently on parole to shoot a woman in the neck over the weekend. The incident left the victim likely paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of her life. 32-year-old Clifford Benavente San Nicolas appeared via videoconference this afternoon.

"The people of Guam are charging you with 1st degree murder as a 1st degree felony with a special allegation of possession and use of a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony" announced Magistrate Judge Alberto Tolentino.  

A woman was brought into the Dededo Fire Station on saturday with a gunshot wound to her neck.  According to court documents, San Nicolas drove the woman to the fire station where authorities found expended gun casings, plastic straws possibly containing drugs and syringes inside the car.  Criminal Investigation Division agents subsequently interviewed San Nicolas, who initially denied knowing how the woman was shot.  He later consented to a search of his home where police found a sawed-off shotgun, another firearm and ammunition under his bed. 

San Nicolas later admitted that he and the woman got into an argument over burnt rice. Wanting to scare her, San Nicolas told police he put the rifle up to her neck and fired.

The victim remains in critical condition at the Guam Memorial Hospital where the bullet is lodged in her neck.  Her physician believes she will be paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of her life.  The prosecution said San Nicolas is no stranger to the judicial system. "In light of this defendant's frequent contacts with the system going all the way back to 1999. His frequent arrests and conviction for matters arriving from family violence and the fact that he was already serving a term of parole and one of the specific conditions of that parole being that he not possess any firearms, in fact, stay away from firearms.  the people are requesting $500,000 cash bail."

In addition to the attempted murder charge, San Nicolas is also charged with family violence with a special allegation and possession of a firearm without a firearms identification card.

According to Superior Court records, this is the fifth time San Nicolas has been arrested and charged with family violence, as he has prior arrests from 2007, 2002, 2001 and 2000. San Nicolas also has an outstanding warrant of arrest for a 2009 case where he was charged with possession of a Schedule II Controlled Substance and assault.

He remains behind bars and is scheduled to appear back in court on February 8 for a preliminary hearing.