A California couple is facing a long stretch in prison for the brutal murder of his ex-girlfriend, whom they lured out of a bar and fatally shot.
Margarita Jimenez, 34, was slapped with an 80-year-to-life prison sentence, while her partner Jorge Garfias, 38, received a 25-year-to-life term for the killing of Yanelly Vargas, according to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
Cops in Oxnard, about 60 miles west of Los Angeles, were called to a nightclub just before midnight on St Patrick's Day, March 17, 2024, after reports of a man and woman in a heated argument. Gunshots were heard during the 911 call.
When officers arrived, they found 35 year old Vargas suffering from a gunshot wound. She was rushed to the hospital, where she later died from her injuries. The suspects were caught by police roughly two weeks after the murder, reports the Express US.
The tragic incident unfolded when Garfias received a phone call from 35 year old Vargas while he and Jimenez were watching TV. Jimenez testified at trial that she heard a female's voice on the other line and confronted Garfias about who he was talking to, according to the Star. Garfias confessed it was Vargas.
Jimenez testified she was "tired of the drama." She felt as if Garfias and Vargas were rekindling their relationship. "I felt anger, I felt betrayed, I felt lied to," Jimenez testified.
Garfias and Jimenez enticed the victim to his vehicle from a nightclub using text messages. They then transported her to an alleyway in an industrial district where a dispute erupted into physical violence, with the defendants attacking Vargas, according to prosecutors. When Vargas tried to flee, the defendants chased her in Garfias' truck.
Jimenez confronted Vargas. "I was sad, mad," Jimenez admitted. "I was hostile with her."
Security camera footage showed Jimenez getting out of the truck, pursuing Vargas, and shooting her fatally in the chest.
She tried to fire at Vargas again, but the weapon jammed, prosecutors said.
After hearing gunfire during a 911 call about a man and woman fighting, officers raced to the location and found Vargas' body.
In addition to the gunshot wound, she also showed evidence of blunt force trauma and strangulation.
Detectives found a blood trail, a used 9 mm shell casing, and acrylic nails connected to Jimenez at the crime scene.
A blood-soaked yellow rope was also discovered near the victim, prosecutors added.
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