SANTA FE, N.M. (Court TV) — A New Mexico woman faces at least 30 years for the murder of two people, including a police officer, during a high-speed chase.
Jeannine Jaramillo sits in court as the judge instructs the jury on Dec. 12, 2024. (Court TV)
On March 2, 2022, Jeannine Jaramillo was in a white Chevrolet Malibu in the parking lot of a Santa Fe apartment building when she asked a pedestrian to call 911, saying that she had been kidnapped by a man in her passenger seat with a knife. When police officers arrived at the scene, they saw the vehicle but were unable to get it to stop.
Jaramillo led police on a high-speed chase, reaching speeds over 90 miles per hour and traveling in the wrong direction on I-25. A pickup truck driven by Frank Lovato was able to avoid colliding with Jaramillo, but crashed into a patrol car driven by Officer Robert Duran, killing both. A second crash caused minor injuries to another driver and police officer.
A third crash disabled Jaramillo’s vehicle, and she soon climbed out of the driver’s side window. She told police that her boyfriend, “Mark Lopez,” had been driving and fled on foot, but police never located anyone despite an extensive search. When she was questioned by officers, Jaramillo claimed that her boyfriend had physically attacked her, poured gasoline on her and kidnapped her before she asked for help. Officers determined she had no visible injuries, her clothes did not smell like gas and noted she had no phone number or identifying information for her boyfriend.
Officers later determined the Malibu had been stolen from Las Vegas, New Mexico.
The deadly crash was the third time in less than 12 months that Jaramillo was charged with leading police on a pursuit. She pleaded guilty to charges stemming from incidents on Sept. 7, 2021, and on Oct. 8, 2021, where she had stolen vehicles, which she then used to lead police on chases. In each case, she claimed to be a victim of kidnapping, though evidence proved no other people were with her.
After several hours of deliberation, a jury found Jaramillo guilty on Dec. 12 of all charges, including two counts of first-degree murder, fleeing a law enforcement officer and receiving or transferring stolen vehicles. She faces a minimum of 30 years at her sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled.
