Left inset: Josue Barreras Anaya (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office). Right inset: Jessica Guzman (GoFundMe). Background: The truck that Josue Barreras Anaya allegedly used to drop off his girlfriend’s dead body at a Phoenix Police station after murdering her, cops say (KSAZ/YouTube).
In a deeply unsettling incident, a man from Arizona is accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend and subsequently transporting her body to a police station in Phoenix. Authorities allege that Josue Barreras Anaya, the suspect, used a gun kept under his pillow to kill Jessica Guzman, his 32-year-old partner, by shooting her in the head.
Describing the grim situation, Jessica’s brother, David Guzman, expressed his outrage and disbelief. “He loaded up my sister in the back of his truck like it was roadkill,” he told KTVK, a local television station, reflecting the family’s shock and grief over the alleged murder.
The 36-year-old Anaya now faces charges of first-degree murder. According to Phoenix law enforcement, the fatal altercation took place during an argument at Anaya’s residence. Court documents, as reported by KTVK, detail how Anaya and Guzman were both in the bedroom when the gun fell from under the pillow, allegedly startling Jessica. A confrontation erupted as Anaya attempted to retrieve the firearm, leading to a scuffle during which two shots were fired. One bullet tragically struck Jessica in the head, resulting in her death.
Instead of immediately contacting authorities, Anaya allegedly wrapped Guzman’s body in a comforter and placed her in the bed of his GMC Sierra pickup truck. He then drove to the Maryvale Estrella Mountain Precinct on Encanto Boulevard. Upon arrival, he approached Phoenix Police officers in the parking lot around 5 a.m. on Tuesday to report the incident.
Phoenix Police Sgt. Brian Bower commented on the unexpected nature of the situation, telling KSAZ, a local Fox affiliate, “When you’re a patrol officer, you don’t expect somebody to come to you and just tell you that there’s an individual deceased in the back of the truck and that you’re responsible for it, so I’m sure those officers were perplexed.” The incident has left the local community in shock, as they grapple with the disturbing details of the case.
“When you’re a patrol officer, you don’t expect somebody to come to you and just tell you that there’s an individual deceased in the back of the truck and that you’re responsible for, so I’m sure those officers were perplexed,” Phoenix Police Sgt. Brian Bower told local Fox affiliate KSAZ.
Authorities processed Anaya’s hands for gunshot residue and asked him some “standard procedure questions,” according to court documents, before he requested an attorney.
“We all tried to wake her up and make her see the danger that she was in,” David Guzman told KTVK about his sister, noting how she said in the past that Anaya had abused and isolated her from family. “And he just somehow, some way, kept on weaseling his way back into her life.”
A GoFundMe set up by the Guzman family describes Jessica as a “daughter, sister, and a mother” who leaves behind a “young son.”
The description says, “Her son has lost the most important person in his life, and her mother is grieving not only a daughter, but the pillar who helped her through every step of life.”
Anaya was being held this week on a $1 million bond and was still behind bars Thursday.
