Andrew Jimenez, the Glendale firefighter accused of murdering his wife with a pick ax, has been ordered to stand trial after detectives described a blood-soaked bedroom scene where Mayra Jimenez was found decapitated.
Detective Jason Haggis testified Wednesday that the 46-year-old school teacher was discovered January 21 lying “partially covered, hanging off the bed, head off, right hand dangling.” Blood spatter covered her sandals, the bed, the door, and other items in the room, he said.
“There was a significant amount of blood, skull fragments, brain matter. Quite frankly, her face was gone,” Haggis testified in court.
The medical examiner identified 32 chop wounds to Mayra’s body, including 25 to the head and neck, as well as “internal decapitation of neck, and a brain tumor caused by a large pick head ax.” One wound on her left temple matched the pick end of the ax found at the scene, according to prosecutors. Death was determined to be caused by “chop wounds” that matched the weapon.
Mayra was pronounced dead at 4:45 a.m. On January 21 and was identified by the medical examiner via fingerprints, prosecutor Kelsey Unger said in court.
Another photo shown during testimony displayed the pick ax with its handle facing up, resting at the side of the bed, “covered in blood and just two feet from the body,” Haggis explained. Jimenez, who appeared in court wearing an orange jumpsuit and shackles, looked up at the photos as they were presented.
The courtroom gallery held more than 20 colleagues and loved ones of Mayra, who wore LA Dodgers T-shirts emblazoned with “Mayra Forever” on the back. They gasped as a picture of Mayra in bed was displayed, her white sheets covered in blood. Prosecutors held back from showing an “extremely graphic” shot of the victim’s face.
“That was really hard, I’m glad they didn’t show all of them,” a friend of Mayra who was shaken up after the hearing told the California Post.
Investigators also testified about a spat the couple had at an LA Kings hockey game in early January. “The defendant started saying Myra was cheating on him and he had proof, screen shots from Myra’s phone that was proof,” Haggis said, hinting at a possible motive rooted in infidelity.
Detective Erica Pedrosa testified that she was flagged down by Jimenez, his mother, father and son as she was entering the police station in her patrol car shortly before 4 a.m., the morning the body was discovered. “He said he did something and he was going to stand by at the station while we did a welfare check,” Pedrosa said.
The judge ruled that there was enough evidence to proceed to trial. Jimenez is charged with murder and faces 26 years to life in prison.
Jimenez is expected back in court for an arraignment in Los Angeles.