A trail of blood and broken acrylic nails helped solve a grisly Ventura County murder, authorities say — culminating Friday in the conviction of a couple for beating and murdering the man’s ex-girlfriend.
A jury found Margarita Jimenez, 34, of Oxnard; and Jorge Garfias, 38, of Ventura, guilty of first-degree murder in the slaying of Yanelly Vargas, according to the Ventura County district attorney’s office.
Prosecutors say the attack unfolded minutes before midnight on Saint Patrick’s Day 2024.
Garfias used a text message to lure Vargas, his ex-girlfriend, outside of a bar in Oxnard, prosecutors said. He and his new girlfriend, Jimenez, then took Vargas to an alleyway in a nearby industrial area and began beating her. Vargas tried to flee the area on foot, but the couple followed her in Garfias’ truck, according to authorities.
At 11:53 p.m., the Oxnard Police Department received a call of a reported fight between a man and a woman near East Wooley Road and Industrial Avenue.
As the caller was on the line, a gunshot rang out.
Surveillance camera footage captured Jimenez getting out of the truck with a handgun and running after Vargas, according to authorities. She then shot Vargas in the chest and tried to shoot her a second time before jumping back in the truck and fleeing the area with Garfias, prosecutors said.
When officers arrived, they found the 30-year-old Vargas unresponsive.
The couple had disappeared, but a trail of evidence was left behind. Investigators recovered a blood-stained rope, a spent 9mm shell casing, a path of blood and acrylic nails that were later matched to Jimenez, prosecutors said.
Vargas was taken to a hospital where she later died. In addition to a gunshot wound to the chest, Vargas suffered multiple blunt-force injuries and showed signs of strangulation.
A woman who witnessed the attack from a nearby apartment described the gory scene during the trial, according to the Ventura County Star.
“We heard wailing like screaming in terror,” the woman said, saying the screams were a “type of guttural wailing you don’t really forget.”
The couple were arrested on April 3, 2024, and held in custody without bail, prosecutors said. They both pleaded not guilty to killing and kidnapping Vargas.
Prosecutors argued that the killing was motivated by Jimenez’s jealously of Vargas, according to the Ventura County Star.
The jury convicted the couple of murder and found true the special allegation that Jimenez intentionally discharged a firearm. The two were not convicted of kidnapping charges and are due back in court Monday for a special trial on additional special allegations and aggravating factors.
“Thank you to the Oxnard Police Department for their swift and thorough investigation to find the perpetrators of this horrific murder,” Deputy Dist. Atty. Hyla Schneir said in a statement. “We appreciate the jury’s attention and careful consideration of the evidence. We hope that this verdict brings a sense of closure to Yanelly’s family and friends.”
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