Arianna Ramirez was sitting in the back of a black Mitsubishi Eclipse at an Avondale parking lot on July 6, 2018, when her boyfriend, Jesus Carbajal, and his friend, Felix Rios, shot and killed a 17-year-old boy after attempting to rob him, according to Maricopa County court records.

They were meeting another group — consisting of a 17-year-old boy, his 17-year-old girlfriend and a 15-year-old boy — to trade “firearm accessories” for marijuana, those records state.

But Ramirez, Carbajal and Rios planned to rob them instead, according to a probable-cause statement submitted to a court by Avondale police.

Investigators obtained Facebook messages between Carbajal and Ramirez that showed the former suggesting the trade become a robbery.

“Kill him instead,” Ramirez replied, the records say.

She was 14 years old at the time.

Now 15, Ramirez, of Avondale, is facing three counts of first-degree murder, armed robbery and aggravated assault.

The Arizona Republic is identifying Ramirez because the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office has charged her as an adult.

A robbery turned fatal

Arrest documents say Carbajal, Ramirez and Rios met with the teenagers at a Taco Bell parking lot about 11 p.m. at 11325 W. Buckeye Road.

The 15-year-old boy told investigators that Carbajal pulled out a gun and demanded of the 17-year-old boy, “Give me everything you got,” according to court records. He said the boy instead pushed Carbajal and ran away, but Carbajal and Rios shot him before fleeing.

Records say the 17-year-old boy suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Officials found multiple shell casings and a bag of marijuana at the parking lot. The 15-year-old boy told police he had met Carbajal while incarcerated and helped set up the deal with his friend. 

Police arrested and interviewed Ramirez on an unspecified date, when she told investigators she saw Carbajal shoot the 17-year-old boy, court records said. Police later obtained a warrant to access Ramirez’s phone, revealing text messages between her and Carbajal about fleeing Arizona.

Police interviewed Ramirez again on March 15, when she confirmed that Rios was the driver during the armed robbery and that he fired at least once at the 17-year-old.

She also told police that she, Rios and Carbajal stole two handguns from a teenager in Tolleson about 10 minutes before the murder, records say. Ramirez said she couldn’t remember whether Rios and Carbajal used the stolen handguns or their own during the second robbery.

Amanda Steele, a spokeswoman with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, told The Republic that prosecutors moved to dismiss and refile the charges last fall to add a co-defendant.

The co-defendant’s name, however, is redacted in court documents.

Ramirez’s trial is scheduled for May 16 in Maricopa County Superior Court.

Documents show police detectives found and arrested Rios on Friday. Rios later admitted to being involved in the two robberies and firing a single round into the air during the second one.

He also told officers he read a news article about the 17-year-old’s death and that he gave away his gun, sold his car, obtained a new cellphone and deleted his Facebook account weeks after the robberies, records say.

Rios, of Phoenix, was booked into a Maricopa County jail on the following charges:

• First-degree murder.
• Aggravated robbery.
• Armed robbery.
• Participating in a criminal street gang.
• Possession of a weapon during a drug offense.

Rios is being held on a $500,000 bond, and his next court hearing is scheduled for April 5 in Maricopa County Superior Court.

Court documents say Carbajal fled to Mexico and has not been located by authorities.

Reach the reporter Perry Vandell at 602-444-2474 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @PerryVandell.

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