Left inset: Jesus Varela (Harris County Sheriff's Office). Right inset: Christelrose Angel Ramirez (GoFundMe). Background: The Texas home where Jesus Varela allegedly shot and killed his girlfriend Christelrose Angel Ramirez while she was sleeping (KTRK).
A Texas man allegedly gunned down his girlfriend while she slept and then scooped her body up into trash bags, which he then placed inside a plastic barrel before dumping it with help from his nephew.
Jesus Varela, 48, is accused of "forcing" his nephew to "help him hide the girlfriend's corpse" after killing victim Christelrose Angel Ramirez earlier this month, according to Harris County prosecutors and local ABC affiliate KTRK.
A judge noted during a probable cause hearing last week that Varela allegedly threatened his relative and told him he "had already killed one person and wanted to kill another, with a grip on [the nephew's] shirt," per the judge's description of the allegations.
Prosecutors say Varela killed Ramirez on Dec. 1 inside their home in Independence Heights and then forcefully enlisted his nephew to help dispose of her body and the bed she was laying on when the shooting occurred, according to court documents viewed by Law&Crime.
Blood was allegedly found throughout the couple's bedroom, including on the ceiling above the bed and the headboard.
"They (investigators) said she was asleep and he shot her while she was asleep and then started bagging her up," Ramirez's father, Ricardo Ramirez, told NBC affiliate KPRC.
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Varela allegedly placed Ramirez inside a trash bag and then wrapped three more trash bags around it. He then stuffed the bags into the barrel and dumped it with his nephew's help in a wooded area in northwest Houston, according to prosecutors. The two men disposed of the bed in a nearby apartment complex.
"She didn't deserve this," Ramirez's aunt, Maggie Ramirez, told KPRC.
"Nobody deserves to die like that, because we are not dogs or animals or trash to be thrown out there," Ricardo Ramirez added. "I'm going to be there every day in court to make sure that they give him the maximum. All I want is justice for my daughter."
Varela was reportedly caught after a friend of his nephew heard about what happened and notified police. The nephew confessed to being allegedly forced by Varela to take part in the body disposal and accused his uncle of assaulting and restraining him.
Investigators were able to find Ramirez's body after pinging her phone and tracing it to the wooded area where her remains were found, local CBS affiliate KHOU reports. Varela has been charged with murder, assault and unlawful restraint.
Ramirez's family described her on GoFundMe as a victim of "domestic violence," with her parents warning others to be wary of similar DV situations.
"Don't be a victim," Maggie Ramirez told KPRC. "Don't die in a barrel. Be someone that speaks up and breaks the bond of fear."
Varela was being held Monday on bonds totaling $240,000 and is due back in court on Tuesday, according to online records.
