District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced that Margarita Jimenez a 34-year-old woman from Oxnard, and Jorge Garfias 38-year-old man from Ventura, have been convicted by a jury of the first-degree murder of Yanelly Vargas. The jury also found true the special allegation that Jimenez personally and intentionally discharged a firearm. Jimenez and Garfias were found not guilty of kidnapping the victim.
Senior Deputy District Attorney John Barrick, a member of the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office Homicides Unit, and Deputy District Attorney Hyla Schneir, a member of the DA’s Domestic Violence Unit, prosecuted the case.
“Thank you to the Oxnard Police Department for their swift and thorough investigation to find the perpetrators of this horrific murder,” Ms. Schneir said. “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.”
Just before midnight on March 17, 2024, Oxnard Police Department officers responded to a reported fight between a man and woman outside a business near East Wooley Road and Industrial Avenue. During the 911 call, a gunshot was heard. Officers arrived to find 30-year-old Yanelly Vargas unresponsive with a gunshot wound. She was transported to Ventura County Medical Center, where she later died.
Investigators determined that Ms. Vargas had been lured outside of an Oxnard bar via text message sent by Garfias, her ex-boyfriend. Garfias and his new girlfriend, Jimenez, took Ms. Vargas to an alley in an industrial area nearby before beating Ms. Vargas. Ms. Vargas tried to walk away as Garfias and Jimenez followed her in Garfias’ truck. Jimenez was captured on surveillance footage exiting the truck and running after Vargas with a handgun. Jimenez shot Ms. Vargas once in the chest and attempted to shoot a second time before fleeing the scene with Garfias in the truck.
At the scene, investigators found a blood trail, a spent 9mm shell casing, and acrylic nails that were later matched to Jimenez at the time of her arrest. A blood-stained yellow rope was also found near the victim. An autopsy confirmed Ms. Vargas died from a gunshot wound to the chest and had also suffered multiple blunt force injuries and signs of strangulation.
Jimenez and Garfias were arrested on April 3, 2024.