A judge ordered a former Glendale firefighter to stand trial in his wife’s pick-ax killing, after detectives testified he had accused her of cheating.
Story Snapshot
- Judge Theresa McGonigle ruled there is enough evidence to try Andrew Jimenez for murder.
- Prosecutors say he killed his wife, third-grade teacher Mayra Jimenez, 46, in their North Hollywood home.
- Testimony described about 32 chop wounds and a bloody pick ax beside her bed.
- His lawyer asked the judge to throw out the charge, saying the evidence fell short.
- Detectives testified he showed his wife’s brother-in-law screenshots from her phone as proof she was cheating, and police found nothing showing she was unfaithful.
Judge Advances Case to Trial After Preliminary Hearing
On Wednesday, October 21, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Theresa McGonigle ruled that prosecutors have enough evidence to try Andrew Jimenez for the murder of his wife, Mayra. The ruling came at a preliminary hearing, a court step where a judge decides whether a case is strong enough to go to trial. It is not a finding of guilt. Prosecutors charged Jimenez with murder and allege he used an ax as a deadly weapon. He pleaded not guilty in April. His lawyer, Deputy Public Defender Mark Carrillo, asked the judge to dismiss the charge, arguing the evidence was not enough. The judge disagreed. Jimenez is being held without bail and is set to be arraigned, or formally read the charge, on November 4.
Prosecutors say the motive was a claim of cheating. A detective testified that at a hockey game in early January, Jimenez told his wife’s brother-in-law she was unfaithful and showed him screenshots from her phone. The brother-in-law said the screenshots did not look like cheating to him. The next day, Jimenez texted him and called it a big misunderstanding. The detective said police found nothing showing infidelity, and a notebook Jimenez’s son gave police, which had been described as a diary, appeared to be a work notebook.
What Detectives Told the Court
Mayra Jimenez was found dead in the couple’s bedroom on January 21. Shortly before 4 a.m. that day, Jimenez and three family members went to a police station, where he asked officers to check on his wife. An officer testified that Jimenez told her he “did something” and would wait at the station. Officers who went to the home found her body. Detective Jason Haggis of the Los Angeles Police Department testified that a pick ax covered in blood was leaning against the bed, about two feet from her body. He said there were no signs of forced entry.
The medical examiner found about 32 chop wounds, 25 of them to the head, face and neck. Prosecutors said one wound on her left temple matched the pick end of the ax. Her injuries were so severe that she had to be identified by her fingerprints. In court, the prosecutor argued that Jimenez spoke of a motive before the killing and that the injuries made it clearly a murder.
Domestic-Violence Case and a School in Mourning
Police called the case domestic violence between a married couple. When charges were filed in January, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman called it a “devastating reminder of the persistent scourge of intimate partner violence in our communities.” The charges are allegations, and a jury will decide whether prosecutors can prove them. If convicted, Jimenez faces 26 years to life in prison.
Mayra Jimenez taught third grade at Wilshire Park Elementary School in Koreatown. The school held a vigil days after her death, and students and coworkers remembered her as a dedicated teacher who made class fun. The Los Angeles school district called her a “beloved teacher, colleague, and friend.” Jimenez joined the Glendale Fire Department in 2008 and worked as a firefighter and paramedic. He was put on leave after his arrest, and the city later confirmed he is no longer a city employee.
Sources:
nypost.com, dailynews.com, da.lacounty.gov, nbclosangeles.com
