More details have emerged from the shooting in Rexburg on Thursday night that led to a Rexburg man being arrested and a woman dead.
Fabian Hernandez, 32, was charged with felony first-degree murder, a felony count of possession of a controlled substance and a misdemeanor count of possession of paraphernalia.
First-degree murder has the potential punishment of a minimum of 10 years and up to life, with the possibility of the death penalty.
According to the affidavit, an officer with the Rexburg Police Department was dispatched to 610 Lilac Street for a homicide. Upon the arrival of the officer at the home, the officer reported seeing 35-year-old Ariana Ramos Chavez on the ground at the base of the stairs leading to the front door. The affidavit states that Chavez had multiple gunshot wounds to her upper body.
The son of Chavez told a lieutenant with RPD that he was informed by another relative that Hernandez had shot their mom. When the son arrived at the home, he allegedly found Hernandez standing above her body, holding the gun.
The son said he asked Hernandez why he shot his mom, and according to the son, Hernandez began to apologize and dropped the gun.
A corporal with RPD was the first to arrive, and Hernandez was on the ground, stating that he was the one they were looking for. According to the affidavit, Hernandez made the statements of his own volition, and the answers were not a part of his being questioned by police.
Hernandez told the reporting officer that a doorbell camera on the front door may have captured the shooting and he gave permission to search his phone to find that video.
According to Hernandez, he and Chavez had been arguing through text messages between 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. that night concerning infidelity and his drug use. The affidavit states that Chavez had told Hernandez to get his “(expletive) and get out,” referring to methamphetamines he had in their bedroom.
Fabian told officers he had spent between $300 and $500 per week on methamphetamines and that he had obtained the gun through a Facebook page called “Man Stuff,” costing him $300. He said that everyone in the house knew where the gun was located, in a cabinet above the washer and dryer, and that it was always loaded.
He also said he believed he had called 911 and told them that he had shot Chavez. The reporting officer wrote that Hernandez appeared to be under the influence of drugs.
Detectives asked Hernandez to do a blood draw, but he told them he wanted to speak to an attorney.
The affidavit states that Chavez’s daughter told detectives she heard Hernandez and her mother arguing outside and him threatening to shoot her mother. The daughter said that Hernandez went inside to get the gun and then went outside, where he shot Chavez three times.
A search of Hernandez produced a glass methamphetamine pipe, and a test resulted in a presumptive positive of methamphetamine, the affidavit said.
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