Left inset: Jesus Varela (Harris County Sheriff’s Office). Right inset: Christelrose Angel Ramirez (GoFundMe). Background: The Texas home where Jesus Varela allegedly shot and killed his girlfriend Christelrose Angel Ramirez while she was sleeping (KTRK).
In a chilling incident from Texas, a man is accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend while she slept, then concealing her body in trash bags which he placed inside a plastic barrel, allegedly with assistance from his nephew.
The suspect, 48-year-old Jesus Varela, allegedly coerced his nephew into helping conceal the body of Christelrose Angel Ramirez, whom authorities say he killed earlier this month. This information comes from the Harris County prosecutors and a report by local ABC station KTRK.
During a recent probable cause hearing, a judge highlighted that Varela had allegedly intimidated his nephew, declaring he had already taken one life and was prepared to take another, while physically grabbing the nephew’s shirt, as per the judge’s account of the situation.
Legal documents reviewed by Law&Crime reveal that prosecutors claim Varela committed the murder on December 1 at their residence in Independence Heights. He then allegedly forced his nephew to assist in discarding Ramirez’s body and the bed where the shooting allegedly took place.
Investigators reportedly found blood spattered throughout the bedroom, including on the ceiling and headboard, indicating a violent scene.
Ricardo Ramirez, the victim’s father, shared with NBC affiliate KPRC that investigators believe his daughter was shot while she slept, and Varela began to bag her body immediately afterward.
Varela allegedly placed Ramirez inside a trash bag and then wrapped three more trash bags around it. He then stuffed the bags into the barrel and dumped it with his nephew’s help in a wooded area in northwest Houston, according to prosecutors. The two men disposed of the bed in a nearby apartment complex.
“She didn’t deserve this,” Ramirez’s aunt, Maggie Ramirez, told KPRC.
“Nobody deserves to die like that, because we are not dogs or animals or trash to be thrown out there,” Ricardo Ramirez added. “I’m going to be there every day in court to make sure that they give him the maximum. All I want is justice for my daughter.”
Varela was reportedly caught after a friend of his nephew heard about what happened and notified police. The nephew confessed to being allegedly forced by Varela to take part in the body disposal and accused his uncle of assaulting and restraining him.
Investigators were able to find Ramirez’s body after pinging her phone and tracing it to the wooded area where her remains were found, local CBS affiliate KHOU reports. Varela has been charged with murder, assault and unlawful restraint.
Ramirez’s family described her on GoFundMe as a victim of “domestic violence,” with her parents warning others to be wary of similar DV situations.
“Don’t be a victim,” Maggie Ramirez told KPRC. “Don’t die in a barrel. Be someone that speaks up and breaks the bond of fear.”
Varela was being held Monday on bonds totaling $240,000 and is due back in court on Tuesday, according to online records.
