Man pleads guilty to murdering Rexburg mother of four
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REXBURG – A 32-year-old man has pleaded guilty to murder charges after being accused of killing a 35-year-old mother of four.
Fabian Hernandez was initially charged with the first-degree murder of Ariana Ramos Chavez, felony possession of a controlled substance, and misdemeanor use or possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia.
Obituary for Ariana Chavez | Flamm Funeral Home
On Dec. 16, he accepted a plea agreement where he agreed to plead guilty to an amended charge of second-degree murder and agreed to an underlying life sentence in exchange for the remaining counts to be dropped. The prosecution also agreed not to file charges for the alleged trafficking of methamphetamine.
First-degree murder involves premeditation, while second-degree murder does not. This means Hernandez admitted to killing Ramos Chavez but does not admit to planning the murder before it happened.
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Hernandez is scheduled to be sentenced by District Judge Steven Boyce on March 20.
Background
According to court documents, a Rexburg police officer was called to a home on the 600 block of Lilac Street around 11:15 p.m. on Aug. 22 for a report of a homicide.
After arriving at the home, the officer reportedly saw a woman, identified as Ramos Chavez, lying deceased near the base of the front stairs. Police reports say she was shot multiple times in the upper body.
According to police, Ramos Chavez lived at the home with her domestic partner, Hernandez.
A lieutenant with the Rexburg Police Department was reportedly told by one of Ramos Chavez’s children that when they arrived home, they saw Hernandez “with a gun in his hand standing by (Ramos Chavez’s) body.”
According to police reports, Hernandez told officers that he and Ramos Chavez had been arguing over text between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. that night about “infidelity and drug use.”
Ramos Chavez had reportedly told Hernandez to “get his s*** and get out,” referring to methamphetamine he had in the home. Hernandez told officers he spent “between $300 and $500 per week on methamphetamine.”
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He then told police he bought the gun used to shoot Ramos Chavez for $300 from a Facebook group.
Hernandez told officers “everyone in the house knew where the gun was located” and that it was “always loaded.” He then said he called 911 to report that he had shot Ramos Chavez.
Police say Hernandez appeared to be under the influence of drugs, so they asked for permission to do a blood draw. Hernandez asked for an attorney before consenting to the blood draw.
Court records say another of Ramos Chavez’s children spoke to a detective and said they heard Hernandez and Ramos Chavez arguing, Hernandez threatening to shoot her, and then saw Hernandez get the gun before going back outside and shooting her three times.
Hernandez was then taken into custody and booked into the Madison County Jail. According to police reports, during the booking process, a “glass methamphetamine pipe” with “meth residue in it” was found with Hernandez at the jail.