Police in California have arrested a 25-year-old woman and her 21-year-old boyfriend after accusing the pair of orchestrating the brutal murders of her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend.
Princess Perez is accused of convincing her new beau, Ramses “Rex” Morales, to gun down her ex, Ruben Chavez, 31, and his new love, Evelyn Virgen, 28, with a shotgun. The murders unfolded feet from a minivan that was holding three small children, according to a police statement.
Police said that Perez and Chavez had been embroiled in a bitter custody battle over their two sons.
Local reports indicate that Perez and Chavez were the parents of the three children who were in the minivan.
The San Diego Police Department said in a statement that the murders occurred shortly after midnight on Monday, January 19, in the city’s Grant Hill section.
The person who called 911 said that at least one person had been shot and appeared to be bleeding.
Ambulances rolled up and found Chavez and Virgen, who were already dead.
“Officers looked inside a vehicle parked near the victims and observed three young children, all under the age of 2, seemingly unharmed inside,” police wrote in the press release.
The children have since been placed into protective custody, police said in a statement.
Morales has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder with special circumstances of multiple murders and three counts of child endangerment, Us Weekly confirmed. If convicted, he faces life if he is spared the death sentence.
Perez was charged as an accessory to both murders. Prosecutors said that she drove Morales to the location of the murder and then drove him back across the border to Mexico. The two were arrested while attempting to return to the U.S. through the San Ysidro port of entry.
KUSI obtained court documents that reportedly showed things were getting contentious in their custody battle over their two children at the time of Chavez’s death. Chavez was only permitted to have supervised visits with the kids, but she was asking a judge for joint custody.
“It’s a complicated family situation,” an unnamed assistant district attorney told the station. “The investigation’s ongoing as to everybody’s respective relationships.” The prosecutor said the number of children involved in the case made it a truly “terrible situation,” and explained, “They’ve been affected by horrible street violence. Our heart goes out to them and their families, and we’ll do our best to see that justice occurs in this case.”
The GoFundMe page, started by one of Chavez’s cousins, said that the couple left behind a total of nine children and that the three youngest — including a 3-month-old newborn boy named Ruben, Jr.
“We are raising funds to help cover funeral expenses and to support their children, especially the youngest ones, who will need extra care, love, and resources in the days and years ahead,” the fundraising page says. “Any contribution, no matter the amount, is deeply appreciated.”
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