A man was charged Tuesday with murdering his girlfriend, who fell from a car on the Foothill (210) Freeway in Sylmar and was struck by oncoming traffic.
Ricardo Jimenez, 26, of North Hollywood, was ordered to remain jailed on $1 million bail while he awaits arraignment Sept. 23 in San Fernando Superior Court.
He is charged in connection with Thursday's death of Maria Josefina "Josie" Jimenez, to whom he is not related but was dating.
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The murder charge includes the allegation that a knife was used during the commission of the crime. But a determination on the exact cause of the 22- year-old woman's death has been deferred pending additional tests, according to Assistant Chief Ed Winter of the Coroner's Office.
Jimenez was arrested Saturday by Los Angeles police, who cited the amount of blood found on the passenger side of Maria Jimenez's red Toyota Corolla, which was found abandoned in the Foothill area.
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The woman fell out of the passenger side of the car onto the eastbound 210 Freeway west of Hubbard Street and was struck by several vehicles and trucks, according to police.
LAPD Lt. Paul Vernon said multiple witness said the couple were at a "local tattoo parlor before midnight, with Rick causing a disturbance and berating Josie in front of others. We know Rick was driving Josie's red Toyota Corolla when the two left the parlor."
The woman's estranged husband reported her missing, but police said he was not believed to have had any involvement in her death.
--City News Service
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