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A man and woman are accused of fatally shooting an Oregon man inside a Tacoma hotel during a planned robbery.
Pierce County prosecutors charged Ashley Danielle Arrieta, 26, and Jamari Khayelle Webb, 24, with first-degree murder and second-degree murder for the Aug. 25 shooting. Webb received an additional charge for first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, court records show.
Arrieta and Webb are accused of killing 27-year-old Hector Gonzalez Jimenez at the 2100 block of South C Street. Prosecutors say Arrieta and Webb lured Jimenez to the hotel for the robbery.
Pleas of not guilty were entered on Arrieta’s and Webb’s behalves during their arraignments Thursday. Pierce County Superior Court Commissioner Philip Thornton set their respective bails at $1 million, court records show.
Jimenez’s family members drove from Oregon to be at the arraignment, deputy prosecuting Tiffany Nomakchteinsky said during the hearing.
Tacoma police were dispatched that night at 11:07 a.m. to the Holiday Inn for a possible homicide. It initially was reported as a suicide after hotel staff saw a man’s body lying on the floor in one of the rooms, according to charging documents.
Jimenez was identified as the victim, and it was discovered that he died from a gunshot wound to his chest, prosecutors wrote.
Arrieta and Webb were determined to be the alleged suspects through surveillance footage, witness accounts and evidence found in the room.
A white slip-on shoe was discovered near the doorway of Jimenez’s room with blood on the top. Detectives noticed several bottles of alcohol in the room and a broken necklace, according to court records. There was also a grocery store receipt that reportedly belonged to Arrieta and Webb.
Surveillance footage showed Jimenez arriving at the hotel at about 3:20 a.m. He was seen in the footage using his phone. Prosecutors allege Webb and Arrieta stole his phone following the shooting, and it later was recovered alongside state Route 509 near Fife.
The woman entered about 16 minutes after Jimenez with a white bag, according to the video. Shortly after, a man entered the lobby and went in the elevator wearing white slip-on shoes.
The woman was seen leaving at about 3:45 a.m. The man left one minute later. He was covering his face and wore only a single white slip-on shoe, documents show. It is alleged that the recovered shoe belonged to Webb.
A receipt for a strip club called Dream Girls located on Pacific Avenue near Parkland was found on Jimenez’s body. Detectives learned that Arrieta and Jimenez met at the strip club, prosecutors wrote.
Detectives spoke to Jimenez’s friends who said they all decided to drive from Oregon to Tacoma for the weekend. The friends confirmed they went to the strip club with the victim. Jimenez’s friend saw him talking to Arrieta and learned that he would be meeting up with her later.
Prior to the shooting, a $1,500 Zelle payment was made to Arrieta from Jimenez, according to phone records, prosecutors wrote.
Arrieta and Webb were arrested on Sept. 17. They found the other alleged white slip-on shoe in Webb’s apartment, prosecutors wrote.
In an interview with detectives, Arrieta confirmed she met Jimenez at the strip club where they arranged for him to pay her for sex. She went to the hotel with Webb but entered the room by herself. After she received the money, she texted Webb a “heart icon,” which signaled that she was paid, prosecutors wrote.
Arrieta claimed Webb knocked on the door and that she did not know why. Jimenez opened the door and Webb entered the room. Jimenez asked who he was and why he was in the room. Arrieta said she left the room and hotel but did not hear any arguing prior to her leaving, prosecutors wrote.
She said after Webb walked out and met up with her at her car, he was not shaken up but was breathing hard, documents show.
Arrieta told detectives that Webb drove her car, and she did not see Jimenez’s cell phone or other items taken from the room, documents show. She also denied seeing Webb throw Jimenez’s phone out the window.
Webb was convicted in 2018 for first-degree robbery. He is prohibited from owning or possessing firearms, prosecutors wrote.
Source: Fox News
