A Texas-based Honduran man has been apprehended on charges of fatally shooting his girlfriend while she was asleep and coercing his nephew into concealing her body.
Jesus Varela, age 48, faces accusations of murdering his partner, Christelrose Angel Ramirez, within the residence they shared alongside his young nephew.
Prosecutors allege that on December 1, Varela shot Ramirez as she slept, then compelled his nephew to assist in placing her remains into a trash bag. They reportedly wrapped the bag in three additional trash bags and placed it in a barrel, as detailed by Law & Crime.
On December 10, Houston police discovered the blue barrel in a wooded area. Prosecutors claim that location data from Varela’s phone indicated he was at the site on the morning of December 1, according to a report from KHOU.
During a recent probable cause hearing, a judge recounted allegations that Varela had threatened his nephew, claiming he had already killed one person and intended to kill another, all while gripping the nephew’s shirt.
Furthermore, Varela reportedly struck the boy in the chest with an open hand, as reported by Click 2 Houston.
The nephew then obliged with helping Varela hide the corpse, and together, prosecutors say, they also disposed of the bed where Ramirez had been sleeping in a nearby apartment complex.
It was only when one of the nephew’s friends heard him talking about what had happened that Texas Rangers learned of the crime, at which point the nephew reportedly gave a full confession.
Jesus Varela, 48, has been accused of murdering his girlfriend, Christelrose Angel Ramirez inside the house they shared with his young nephew
Prosecutors claim he shot and killed Ramirez as she was sleeping on December 1
Authorities allegedly found numerous dried blood stains inside the couple’s home
Investigators went on to search the couple’s home, where they allegedly found numerous dried blood stains – including in the shower and the bedroom.
‘There was also blood above the bed where the complainant would have been sleeping when she was shot,’ Harris County District Attorney Gilbert Sawtelle said at a court hearing on Tuesday.
Police then pinged Ramirez’s phone, which authorities say led them to the body.
An ensuing autopsy has since confirmed Ramirez’s identity and determined that she died of multiple gunshot wounds.
But when questioned by police, Varela acknowledged he was in a relationship with Ramirez and said they had an argument around Thanksgiving, when she accused him of keeping her like a prisoner inside their house.
He claimed Ramirez left for several days, but returned on November 30.
When Varela then returned home from work on December 1, he claimed she was gone.
The Honduran national maintained his innocence when he appeared before a judge on Tuesday, shackled and in an orange prison jumpsuit.
‘I want to say only that I am innocent,’ he said through a translator before the judge stopped him from speaking further, as he did not yet have an attorney.
Varela maintained his innocence at a court hearing on Tuesday
Ramirez’s family described her as the kind of person who helped others
Ramirez’s family described her as the kind of person who helped others.
‘She didn’t deserve this,’ Ramirez’s aunt, Maggie Ramirez, told Click 2 Houston. ‘She helped the whole world. She helped strangers.’
Family members also said that her on-and-off relationship with Varela had been abusive at times.
They noted that police had previously been called to the couple’s home in November for a domestic violence dispute, but Ramirez was the one who was arrested at the time.
They are now hoping that her case will inspire others in domestic violence situations to speak up and seek help as they work to raise money for her funeral.
‘We are heartbroken by the circumstances surrounding her passing and out family is struggling to give her the peaceful resting place she deserves,’ an online fundraiser reads.
In the meantime, Varela is being held without bail on charges of murder, tampering with a corpse, assault of a family member and unlawful restraint.
He is also on an immigration hold by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
