A Glendale firefighter accused of killing his wife in a brutal North Hollywood attack entered a not guilty plea Wednesday, and a judge ordered that he be held without bail.
Andrew Jimenez, 45, pleaded not guilty Wednesday, April 15, to a murder charge and remains jailed without bail, scheduled to return to court in downtown Los Angeles May 12 when a date will be set for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence for him to stand trial.
The murder charge stems from the Jan. 23 killing of Mayra Jimenez, 55, a third-grade teacher at Wilshire Park Elementary School in Koreatown, whose body was found inside the couple’s home in the 5600 block of Satsuma Avenue, with the charge including a sentence-enhancing allegation of the use of a deadly weapon – an axe.
If convicted, Jimenez could face 26 years to life in prison.
The defendant had previously appeared in court in January and been ordered to remain jailed without bail.
The suspect had apparently found out his wife was cheating on him “moments” before the killing, according to attorney Jose Romero, who stated: “Our office is currently in contact with law enforcement regarding a diary of the decedent, apparently read moments before the homicide, that verified infidelity by the decedent.”
Romero said Jimenez was a “veteran of the Pacific Palisades fire.”
Jimenez joined the Glendale Fire Department in 2008 and the agency placed him on administrative leave following his wife’s death.
Glendale Fire Chief Jeff Brooks said: “Our condolences are with the victim’s family and loved ones. We are prepared to support those impacted by this tragedy, and we are also ensuring our firefighters and staff have access to support resources as they process this loss.”
Mayra Jimenez was a third-grade teacher at Wilshire Park Elementary School and had been called “a beloved teacher” by her colleagues.
The victim was described by friends as a “caring educator” who was a union representative with United Teachers Los Angeles, and a union member who attended the couple’s 2014 wedding confirmed she taught at a local elementary school and said he’d never seen any signs of conflict between the couple.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman released a statement on the charges.
“The domestic violence death of Mayra Jimenez is a devastating reminder of the persistent scourge of intimate partner violence in our communities,” Hochman said. “No one, including those sworn to protect others, is above the law, and we will hold the defendant accountable for this horrific crime and bring justice to Ms. Jimenez and her loved ones.”
In the viral moment captured by investigators on Jan. 21,
Andrew Jimenez walked into the Los Angeles Police Department’s Northeast Community Police Station around 4 a.m. to request a welfare check on his wife, and officers responded to find Mayra Jimenez, 55, dead inside their home.
The victim was discovered to have suffered blunt force trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene, prompting police to establish a homicide crime scene with Robbery-Homicide Division Valley Bureau detectives taking over the investigation.
Homicide investigators conducted interviews, reviewed videos and processed the crime scene, and their investigation revealed that the victim and suspect were in a marital relationship and that this was an incident of domestic violence.
Some neighbors were shocked by the violence in their quiet neighborhood.
Neighbor Camilla Cabrera watched as investigators carried out boxes of evidence, including two large rifles, from the North Hollywood home where the victim was reportedly bludgeoned to death with an axe.
“Such a violent crime, the extreme,” Cabrera told reporters. “There’s never been any violence or domestic violence or signs of that at all.”
A candlelit vigil was held at Mayra’s school on Jan. 24 to honor her memory.
Loved ones and students honored Mayra with a candlelight vigil at Wilshire Park Elementary School, where she was a beloved third-grade teacher, and one parent told media outlets: “She was one of the best teachers we had.”
A 9-year-old student Zoe Archila Kellum said at the vigil: “I want her to still be here with me,” and when asked how she felt hearing the news of her teacher’s death, replied: “Sad and angry.”
Jimenez’s next court date is scheduled for May 12 in downtown Los Angeles.